The words quelconque (any) and quiconque (anyone) can come in handy when you're talking about something general or non-specific in French. Though they look quite similar, you can easily tell these words apart by focusing on what comes before -conque: qui (who) and quel (what, which). There are a few key differences between these words. While quelconque can refer to both people and things, quiconque only refers to people. And while quiconque functions as a relative or indefinite pronoun, quelconque functions as an adjective: 

Elle fouille la maison

She rifles through the house

de fond en comble à la recherche d'un quelconque indice.

from top to bottom in search of any clue.

Caption 19, Le Jour où tout a basculé - Nos bébés ont été échangés...

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Mais la petite sirène était incapable de faire du mal à quiconque.

But the little mermaid was incapable of hurting anyone.

Caption 41, Contes de fées - La petite sirène

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BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Quelconque and quiconque are very similar to two other expressions we discussed in a previous lesson, n'importe quel and n'importe qui: 

ls la postent dans n'importe quelle boîte aux lettres

They mail it in any mailbox,

en oubliant pas de mettre leur adresse retour...

not forgetting to put their return address...

Captions 12-13, LCM - "Cher Père Noël..."

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Et qui l'achète? -Ah, n'importe qui.

And who buys it? -Ah, anyone.

Captions 4-5, Le Journal - La bougie du sapeur

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Note that while the quel in n'importe quel changes depending on the gender and number of the noun it modifies (n'importe quelle, n'importe quels, n'importe quelles), the quel in quelconque never changes. However, since quelconque is an adjective, it takes an "s" when modifying a plural noun:

Si vous avez de quelconques questions, n'hésitez pas à nous contacter. 
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us. 

Quiconque can mean "whoever" or "anyone who" in more formal contexts: 

Quiconque arrive en retard ne sera pas autorisé à entrer dans le théâtre. 

Anyone who arrives late will not be allowed to enter the theater.

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

And quelconque is sometimes used as a pejorative meaning "ordinary," "second-rate," or "mediocre": 
 

Ce restaurant est très quelconque. 
That restaurant is very mediocre. 

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