Which to use
“circa” is a preposition and “cirer” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42,230
- “circa” frequency rank
- #29,284
- “cirer” frequency rank
- 71514
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | circa | cirer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | À peu près, aux environs de, vers. | Enduire ou frotter de cire. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set circa and cirer apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: circa is \siʁ.ka\ while cirer is \si.ʁe\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71514, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
circa is recorded at frequency rank #42,230, classified as aprep, pronounced \siʁ.ka\. cirer is at rank #29,284, tagged as averb, pronounced \si.ʁe\.
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 71514, this pair ranks #47,299 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of circa vs cirer
Shared letters: cir. Private to "circa": a. Private to "cirer": e.
"circa" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "cirer" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "circa" and "cirer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "circa" or "cirer"?
Remembering circa vs cirer
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “circa”; for a verb, it's “cirer”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “circa” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable