Which to use
“cei” is an article and “cer” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,876
- “cei” frequency rank
- #46,052
- “cer” frequency rank
- 77928
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cei | cer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Article adjectival (ou démonstratif) nominatif et accusatif masculin pluriel, généralement traduit par « les ». | Ciel. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cei and cer apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: cei is anarticle and ceranoun. On the page they differ by a single letter - i in “cei” becomes r in “cer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 77928, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cei is recorded at frequency rank #31,876, classified as anarticle. cer is at rank #46,052, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈʧeɾ\.
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 77928, this pair ranks #27,069 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of cei vs cer
Shared letters: ce. Private to "cei": i. Private to "cer": r.
"cei" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "cer" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cei" and "cer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cei" or "cer"?
Remembering cei vs cer
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an article, it's “cei”; for a noun, it's “cer”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cei” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable