1stvs1XWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: 1st is a adjective, 1X is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set 1st and 1X apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
1st
2 ch
1X

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

Frequency comparison

1st#47,124
1X#33,093

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "1st" and "1X" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "1st" is an adjective and "1X" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "1st" or "1X"?
"1X" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,093 in our French list, against #47,124 for "1st". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering 1st vs 1X

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “1st”; for a noun, it's “1X”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “1st” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

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