Which to use
“clairs” is an adjective and “clercs” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,820
- “clairs” frequency rank
- #24,151
- “clercs” frequency rank
- 32971
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clairs | clercs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Masculin pluriel de clair. | Pluriel de clerc. |
Same sound, different letters: clairs vs clercs
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 4 letters. clairs (CCVVCC) and clercs (CCVCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Ear matches; page differs - clairs and clercs
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: clairs and clercs carry the same recorded pronunciation, \klɛʁ\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadjective, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32971, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clairs is recorded at frequency rank #8,820, classified as anadj, pronounced \klɛʁ\. clercs is at rank #24,151, tagged as anoun, pronounced \klɛʁ\.
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 32971, this pair ranks #293,729 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of clairs vs clercs
Shared letters: clrs. Private to "clairs": ai. Private to "clercs": e.
"clairs" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCC · "clercs" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "clairs" for "clercs" ever safe?
Which is more common, "clairs" or "clercs"?
Useful next steps
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "clairs" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clercs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #293,729 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "clairs" and "clercs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Cérès vs clercs". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #293,729 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.