Which to use
“Cir” is a name and “clé” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,282
- “Cir” frequency rank
- #1,987
- “clé” frequency rank
- 31269
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Cir | clé |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cyr. | Instrument de métal que l’on introduit dans une serrure pour ouvrir ou fermer un accès. Ancienne clé à panneton que l'on place et fait tourner dans la serrure d'une porte, d'un coffre, etc. |
Letter map: Cir vs clé
Shared letters muted; letters that set Cir and clé apart highlighted. Shared run: 1.
Grammar separator: Cir vs clé
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: Cir is aname and cléanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31269, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Cir is recorded at frequency rank #29,282, classified as aname. clé is at rank #1,987, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kle\.
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 31269, this pair ranks #304,854 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Cir vs clé
Shared letters: c. Private to "Cir": ir. Private to "clé": lé.
"Cir" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "clé" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Cir" and "clé" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Cir" vs "clé" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pair "Cir" vs "clé" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "Cir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clé" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #304,854 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Cir" and "clé" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Cir vs ciro". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #304,854 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.