paire

\pɛʁ\

/\pɛʁ\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“paire” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #3,630 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,630
frequency rank, French
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Deux choses de même espèce, qui vont nécessairement ou ordinairement ensemble.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

paire vs par
60% similar
paire vs pré
40% similar
paire vs pie
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for paire
PropertyValue
Headwordpaire
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pɛʁ\
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,630
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “paire” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). paire lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for paire is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pɛʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #3,630 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for paire, with forms such as "apire", "paier", and "pairre". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "par", "pré", "pie", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is paire, spelled P-A-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Deux choses de même espèce, qui vont nécessairement ou ordinairement ensemble.
  2. 2
    Deux choses de même espèce, qui vont nécessairement ou ordinairement ensemble.
  3. 3
    Deux choses de même espèce, qui vont nécessairement ou ordinairement ensemble.
  4. 4
    Deux choses de même espèce, qui vont nécessairement ou ordinairement ensemble.
  5. 5
    Un certain nombre, généralement strictement supérieur à deux.
  6. 6
    Ensemble de deux timbres attenant l’un à l’autre.
  7. 7
    Ensemble à deux éléments distincts.
  8. 8
    Dans certains jeux de cartes, deux cartes de même valeur détenues par un joueur.

Synonyms

couple

This word in other languages

pair(English)par(Español)Paar(Deutsch)casal(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: apire,paier,pairre,parie,piare,ppaire

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of paire - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

apire2paier2pairre1parie2piare2ppaire1
Edit distance from "paire"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "paire"?
"paire" is spelled P-A-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pɛʁ\.
What does "paire" mean?
As a noun, "paire" means: Deux choses de même espèce, qui vont nécessairement ou ordinairement ensemble.
What words are commonly confused with "paire"?
"paire" is commonly confused with "par", "pré", "pie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "paire"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "paire" is \pɛʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "paire" come from?
"paire" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “paire”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is P-A-I-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pɛʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “par” - see the side-by-side comparison. paire vs par
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list