Which to use
“élever” and “enlèves” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,308
- “élever” frequency rank
- #26,352
- “enlèves” frequency rank
- 31660
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | élever | enlèves |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mettre plus haut, porter plus haut, rendre plus haut. | Deuxième personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de enlever. |
Where the eye mixes élever and enlèves
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: élever vs enlèves
A purely visual mix-up. élever (\e.lə.ve\) and enlèves (\ɑ̃.lɛv\) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31660, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
élever is recorded at frequency rank #5,308, classified as averb, pronounced \e.lə.ve\. enlèves is at rank #26,352, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɑ̃.lɛv\.
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 31660, this pair ranks #302,403 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of élever vs enlèves
Shared letters: elv. Private to "élever": ré. Private to "enlèves": nsè.
"élever" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "enlèves" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "élever" for "enlèves" ever safe?
Which is more common, "élever" or "enlèves"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "élever" and "enlèves" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "élever" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "enlèves" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #302,403 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "élever" and "enlèves" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "enleva vs enlèves". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #302,403 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.