chères vs colères, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#9,289
“chères” frequency rank: #27,737
“colères” frequency rank: 37026
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	chères	colères
Definition	Féminin pluriel de cher.	Pluriel de colère.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set chères and colères apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

chères

7 ch

colères

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. chères ([ʃɛʁ]) and colères (\kɔ.lɛʁ\) 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 37026, 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]. colères is at rank #27,737, tagged as anadj, pronounced \kɔ.lɛʁ\.

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 37026, this pair ranks #265,406 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of chères vs colères

Shared letters: cersè. Private to "chères": h. Private to "colères": lo.

"chères" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "colères" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

chères#9,289

colères#27,737

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "chères" and "colères" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ʃɛʁ] versus \kɔ.lɛʁ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "chères" or "colères"?

"chères" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,289 in our French list, against #27,737 for "colères". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering chères vs colères

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