Which to use
“cherché” is a verb and “chère” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,666
- “cherché” frequency rank
- #2,764
- “chère” frequency rank
- 6430
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cherché | chère |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Participe passé masculin singulier du verbe chercher. | Personne considérée comme chère, qui est tenu avec une affectueuse haute estime ou, par ironie, à qui est adressée une forme de dédain. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cherché and chère apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cherché is \ʃɛʁ.ʃe\ while chère is \ʃɛʁ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6430, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cherché is recorded at frequency rank #3,666, classified as averb, pronounced \ʃɛʁ.ʃe\. chère is at rank #2,764, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʃɛʁ\.
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 6430, this pair ranks #426,237 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cherché vs chère
Shared letters: cehr. Private to "cherché": é. Private to "chère": è.
"cherché" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV · "chère" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cherché" and "chère" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cherché" or "chère"?
Remembering cherché vs chère
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “cherché”; for a noun, it's “chère”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cherché” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable