Which to use
“chère” is a noun and “chie” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,764
- “chère” frequency rank
- #16,089
- “chie” frequency rank
- 18853
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chère | chie |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Personne considérée comme chère, qui est tenu avec une affectueuse haute estime ou, par ironie, à qui est adressée une forme de dédain. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent du verbe chier. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set chère and chie 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: chère is \ʃɛʁ\ while chie is \ʃi\. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18853, 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\. chie is at rank #16,089, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʃi\.
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 18853, this pair ranks #376,257 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of chère vs chie
Shared letters: ceh. Private to "chère": rè. Private to "chie": i.
"chère" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "chie" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- chie ← cchie · chei · chhie · cihe · hcie
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "chère" and "chie" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "chère" or "chie"?
Remembering chère vs chie
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “chère”; for a verb, it's “chie”.
- 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