Which to use
“chères” and “chéris” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,289
- “chères” frequency rank
- #25,925
- “chéris” frequency rank
- 35214
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chères | chéris |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin pluriel de cher. | Masculin pluriel de chéri. |
Where the eye mixes chères and chéris
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. chères and chéris follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses chères with chéris
A purely visual mix-up. chères ([ʃɛʁ]) and chéris (\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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35214, 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]. chéris is at rank #25,925, 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 35214, this pair ranks #278,345 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of chères vs chéris
Shared letters: chrs. Private to "chères": eè. Private to "chéris": ié.
"chères" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "chéris" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "chères" for "chéris" ever safe?
Which is more common, "chères" or "chéris"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "chères" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "chéris" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #278,345 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chères" and "chéris" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cheik vs chéris". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #278,345 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.