Which to use
“1er” and “1st” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #893
- “1er” frequency rank
- #47,124
- “1st” frequency rank
- 48017
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | 1er | 1st |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Premier. | Abréviation de first. Premier, 1ᵉʳ. |
Where the eye mixes 1er and 1st
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. 1er (VC) and 1st (CC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: 1er vs 1st
A purely visual mix-up. 1er (\pʁə.mje\) and 1st (\ˈfɝst\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48017, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
1er is recorded at frequency rank #893, classified as anadj, pronounced \pʁə.mje\. 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 48017, this pair ranks #182,314 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of 1er vs 1st
Shared letters: none. Private to "1er": er. Private to "1st": st.
"1er" · 2 letters · shape VC · "1st" · 2 letters · shape CC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "1er" for "1st" ever safe?
Frequency check: "1er" vs "1st" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "1er" 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 #182,314 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "1er" and "1st" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "1D vs 1st". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #182,314 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.