Which to use
“1st” is an adjective and “1X” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #47,124
- “1st” frequency rank
- #33,093
- “1X” frequency rank
- 80217
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | 1st | 1X |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Abréviation de first. Premier, 1ᵉʳ. | Vitesse de lecture et de gravure de disque. Elle vaut 150 ko/s pour les CD, et 1,38 Mo/s pour les DVD. |
Where the eye mixes 1st and 1X
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. 1st runs 2 letters (CC) against 1X's 1 (C) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between 1st and 1X
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: 1st is \ˈfɝst\ while 1X is \œ̃.iks\. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80217, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
1st is recorded at frequency rank #47,124, classified as anadj, pronounced \ˈfɝst\. 1X is at rank #33,093, tagged as anoun, pronounced \œ̃.iks\.
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 80217, this pair ranks #21,516 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of 1st vs 1X
Shared letters: none. Private to "1st": st. Private to "1X": x.
"1st" · 2 letters · shape CC · "1X" · 1 letters · shape C
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "1st" for "1X" ever safe?
Which is more common, "1st" or "1X"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "1st" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "1X" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #21,516 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "1st" and "1X" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "1D vs 1st". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #21,516 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.