Which to use
“metre” is a noun and “metric” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,237
- “metre” frequency rank
- #8,577
- “metric” frequency rank
- 18814
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | metre | metric |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Système International d'Unités), equal to the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in 1/299 792 458 seconds. The metre is equal to 39+⁴⁷⁄₁₂₇ (approximately 39.37) imperial inches. | Of or relating to the metric system of measurement. |
Where the eye mixes metre and metric
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. metre runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against metric's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses metre with metric
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: metre is /ˈmiːtə/ while metric is /ˈmɛt.ɹɪk/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18814, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
metre is recorded at frequency rank #10,237, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmiːtə/. metric is at rank #8,577, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈmɛt.ɹɪk/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 18814, this pair ranks #442,387 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of metre vs metric
Shared letters: emrt. Private to "metre": -. Private to "metric": ci.
"metre" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "metric" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "metre" for "metric" ever safe?
Frequency check: "metre" vs "metric" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "metre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "metric" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #442,387 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "metre" and "metric" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Merv vs metre". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #442,387 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.