Which to use
“confère” is a verb and “confrères” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,938
- “confère” frequency rank
- #9,803
- “confrères” frequency rank
- 21741
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | confère | confrères |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de conférer. | Pluriel de confrère. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set confère and confrères apart are highlighted. They share 7 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: confère is \kɔ̃.fɛʁ\ while confrères is \kɔ̃.fʁɛʁ\. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21741, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
confère is recorded at frequency rank #11,938, classified as averb, pronounced \kɔ̃.fɛʁ\. confrères is at rank #9,803, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kɔ̃.fʁɛʁ\.
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 21741, this pair ranks #361,654 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of confère vs confrères
Shared letters: cefnorè. Private to "confère": -. Private to "confrères": s.
"confère" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "confrères" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "confère" and "confrères" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "confère" or "confrères"?
Remembering confère vs confrères
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “confère”; for a noun, it's “confrères”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “confère” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable