Which to use
“chères” is an adjective and “chimères” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,289
- “chères” frequency rank
- #30,519
- “chimères” frequency rank
- 39808
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chères | chimères |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin pluriel de cher. | Pluriel de chimère. |
Where the eye mixes chères and chimères
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. chères runs 6 letters (CCVCVC) against chimères's 8 (CCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between chères and chimères
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: chères is [ʃɛʁ] while chimères is \ʃi.mɛʁ\. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39808, 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]. chimères is at rank #30,519, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʃi.mɛʁ\.
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 39808, this pair ranks #245,209 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of chères vs chimères
Shared letters: cehrsè. Private to "chères": -. Private to "chimères": im.
"chères" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "chimères" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "chères" for "chimères" ever safe?
Which is more common, "chères" or "chimères"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "chères" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "chimères" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #245,209 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chères" and "chimères" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Cheney vs chères". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #245,209 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.