dormivsdormirWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,289
“dormi” frequency rank
#1,861
“dormir” frequency rank
8150
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dormi dormir
Definition Participe passé masculin singulier de dormir. Se reposer dans un état inconscient, de sommeil.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
dormi
6 ch
dormir

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. dormi (\dɔʁ.mi\) and dormir (\dɔʁ.miʁ\) 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 extra letter(s) - “dormi” sits inside “dormir”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8150, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dormi is recorded at frequency rank #6,289, classified as averb, pronounced \dɔʁ.mi\. dormir is at rank #1,861, tagged as averb, pronounced \dɔʁ.miʁ\.

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 8150, this pair ranks #420,964 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of dormi vs dormir

Shared letters: dimor. Private to "dormi": -. Private to "dormir": -.

"dormi" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "dormir" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dormiddormi · domri · dorim · dormmi · dorrmi · dromi · odrmi
  • dormirddormir · domrir · dorimr · dormirr · dormmir · dormri · dorrmir · dromir

Frequency comparison

dormi#6,289
dormir#1,861

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dormi" and "dormir" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\dɔʁ.mi\ versus \dɔʁ.miʁ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dormi" or "dormir"?
"dormir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,861 in our French list, against #6,289 for "dormi". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dormi vs dormir

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 “dormi” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list