Which to use
“chère” is a noun and “chers” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,764
- “chère” frequency rank
- #3,521
- “chers” frequency rank
- 6285
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chère | chers |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Personne considérée comme chère, qui est tenu avec une affectueuse haute estime ou, par ironie, à qui est adressée une forme de dédain. | Masculin pluriel de cher. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set chère and chers apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: chère and chers carry the same recorded pronunciation, \ʃɛʁ\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6285, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chère is recorded at frequency rank #2,764, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʃɛʁ\. chers is at rank #3,521, tagged as anadj, 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 6285, this pair ranks #426,656 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of chère vs chers
Shared letters: cehr. Private to "chère": è. Private to "chers": s.
"chère" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "chers" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- chers ← cchers · cehrs · cherrs · cherss · chesr · chhers · chres · hcers
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "chère" and "chers" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "chère" or "chers"?
Remembering chère vs chers
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “chère”; for an adjective, it's “chers”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “chère” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable