chèresvschériWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“chères” and “chéri” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#9,289
“chères” frequency rank
#6,062
“chéri” frequency rank
15351
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature chères chéri
Definition Féminin pluriel de cher. Sincèrement aimé.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set chères and chéri apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
chères
5 ch
chéri

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. chères ([ʃɛʁ]) and chéri (\ʃe.ʁi\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15351, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

chères is recorded at frequency rank #9,289, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃɛʁ]. chéri is at rank #6,062, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ʃe.ʁi\.

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 15351, this pair ranks #392,744 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of chères vs chéri

Shared letters: chr. Private to "chères": esè. Private to "chéri": .

"chères" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "chéri" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Frequency comparison

chères#9,289
chéri#6,062

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "chères" and "chéri" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃɛʁ] versus \ʃe.ʁi\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "chères" or "chéri"?
"chéri" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,062 in our French list, against #9,289 for "chères". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering chères vs chéri

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “chères” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list