Which to use
“1” is an article and “1er” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #98
- “1” frequency rank
- #893
- “1er” frequency rank
- 991
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | 1 | 1er |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Un, une. | Premier. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set 1 and 1er apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: 1 is \œ̃\ while 1er is \pʁə.mje\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “1” sits inside “1er”, and the parts of speech differ too (article vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 991, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
1 is recorded at frequency rank #98, classified as anarticle, pronounced \œ̃\. 1er is at rank #893, tagged as anadj, pronounced \pʁə.mje\.
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 991, this pair ranks #438,794 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of 1 vs 1er
Shared letters: none. Private to "1": -. Private to "1er": er.
"1" · 0 letters · shape · "1er" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "1" and "1er" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "1" or "1er"?
Remembering 1 vs 1er
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an article, it's “1”; for an adjective, it's “1er”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “1” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable