alegrevsalgèbreWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: alegre is a adjective, algèbre is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“alegre” is an adjective and “algèbre” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#36,235
“alegre” frequency rank
#21,839
“algèbre” frequency rank
58074
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alegre algèbre
Definition Gai, joyeux. Branche des mathématiques qui étudie les structures algébriques, hors des notions de limite (rattachée à l’analyse) et de représentation graphique (concernant la géométrie).

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alegre and algèbre apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
alegre
7 ch
algèbre

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: alegre is [aˈle.ɣ̞ɾe] while algèbre is \al.ʒɛbʁ\. 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 58074, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alegre is recorded at frequency rank #36,235, classified as anadj, pronounced [aˈle.ɣ̞ɾe]. algèbre is at rank #21,839, tagged as anoun, pronounced \al.ʒɛbʁ\.

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 58074, this pair ranks #111,199 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of alegre vs algèbre

Shared letters: aeglr. Private to "alegre": -. Private to "algèbre": .

"alegre" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV  ·  "algèbre" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • alegreaelgre · aleger · aleggre · alegrre · alerge · algere · allegre · laegre

Frequency comparison

alegre#36,235
algèbre#21,839

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alegre" and "algèbre" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "alegre" is an adjective and "algèbre" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "alegre" or "algèbre"?
"algèbre" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,839 in our French list, against #36,235 for "alegre". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering alegre vs algèbre

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “alegre”; for a noun, it's “algèbre”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “alegre” 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