Which to use
“ferme” and “féroce” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,138
- “ferme” frequency rank
- #13,176
- “féroce” frequency rank
- 14314
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ferme | féroce |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui a de la consistance, qui offre une certaine résistance. | Qui est cruel par instinct, en parlant des bêtes. |
Where the eye mixes ferme and féroce
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. ferme runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against féroce's 6 (CVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses ferme with féroce
A purely visual mix-up. ferme (\fɛʁm\) and féroce (\fe.ʁɔs\) 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 14314, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ferme is recorded at frequency rank #1,138, classified as anadj, pronounced \fɛʁm\. féroce is at rank #13,176, tagged as anadj, pronounced \fe.ʁɔs\.
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 14314, this pair ranks #397,239 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ferme vs féroce
Shared letters: efr. Private to "ferme": m. Private to "féroce": coé.
"ferme" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "féroce" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- ferme ← efrme · femre · ferem · fermme · ferrme · fferme · freme
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ferme" and "féroce" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ferme" or "féroce"?
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 "ferme" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "féroce" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #397,239 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ferme" and "féroce" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "féroce vs fronce". 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 #397,239 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.