Which to use
“fermées” and “féroces” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,660
- “fermées” frequency rank
- #26,019
- “féroces” frequency rank
- 35679
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fermées | féroces |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin pluriel de fermé. | Pluriel de féroce. |
Where the eye mixes fermées and féroces
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. fermées (CVCCVVC) and féroces (CVCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses fermées with féroces
A purely visual mix-up. fermées (\fɛʁ.me\) and féroces (\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 share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35679, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fermées is recorded at frequency rank #9,660, classified as anadj, pronounced \fɛʁ.me\. féroces is at rank #26,019, 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 35679, this pair ranks #275,010 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fermées vs féroces
Shared letters: efrsé. Private to "fermées": m. Private to "féroces": co.
"fermées" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC · "féroces" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fermées" for "féroces" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "fermées" or "féroces" show up more?
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 "fermées" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "féroces" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #275,010 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fermées" and "féroces" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "féroces vs ferries". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #275,010 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.