Which to use
“élire” and “expire” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,392
- “élire” frequency rank
- #23,207
- “expire” frequency rank
- 30599
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | élire | expire |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Choisir entre plusieurs personnes ou plusieurs choses. | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de expirer. |
Where the eye mixes élire and expire
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between élire and expire
A purely visual mix-up. élire (\e.liʁ\) and expire (\ɛk.spiʁ\) 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 30599, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
élire is recorded at frequency rank #7,392, classified as averb, pronounced \e.liʁ\. expire is at rank #23,207, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɛk.spiʁ\.
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 30599, this pair ranks #309,210 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of élire vs expire
Shared letters: eir. Private to "élire": lé. Private to "expire": px.
"élire" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "expire" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- expire ← epxire · exipre · expirre · exppire · exprie · exxpire · xepire
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "élire" and "expire" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "élire" vs "expire" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "élire" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "expire" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #309,210 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "élire" and "expire" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "expier vs expire". 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 #309,210 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.