Which to use
“1” is an article and “1st” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #98
- “1” frequency rank
- #47,124
- “1st” frequency rank
- 47222
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | 1 | 1st |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Un, une. | Abréviation de first. Premier, 1ᵉʳ. |
Where the eye mixes 1 and 1st
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between 1 and 1st
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: 1 is \œ̃\ while 1st is \ˈfɝst\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “1” sits inside “1st”, and the parts of speech differ too (article vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47222, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
1 is recorded at frequency rank #98, classified as anarticle, pronounced \œ̃\. 1st is at rank #47,124, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ˈfɝst\.
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 47222, this pair ranks #188,578 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of 1 vs 1st
Shared letters: none. Private to "1": -. Private to "1st": st.
"1" · 0 letters · shape · "1st" · 2 letters · shape CC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "1" for "1st" ever safe?
Frequency check: "1" vs "1st" - 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 "1" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "1st" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #188,578 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "1" and "1st" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "1D vs 1st". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #188,578 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.