Which to use
“âpre” is an adjective and “are” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,604
- “âpre” frequency rank
- #6,166
- “are” frequency rank
- 35770
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | âpre | are |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui, par sa rudesse ou son âcreté, produit une sensation désagréable aux organes du toucher, de l’ouïe ou du goût. | Unité de mesure de surface de terrains, égale à 100 mètres carrés. |
Where the eye mixes âpre and are
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses âpre with are
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: âpre is \ɑpʁ\ while are is \aʁ\. 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 35770, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
âpre is recorded at frequency rank #29,604, classified as anadj, pronounced \ɑpʁ\. are is at rank #6,166, tagged as anoun, pronounced \aʁ\.
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 35770, this pair ranks #274,359 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of âpre vs are
Shared letters: er. Private to "âpre": pâ. Private to "are": a.
"âpre" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "are" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "âpre" for "are" ever safe?
Frequency check: "âpre" vs "are" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "âpre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "are" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #274,359 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "âpre" and "are" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "âpre vs aur". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #274,359 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.