Which to use
“fermes” and “féroces” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,659
- “fermes” frequency rank
- #26,019
- “féroces” frequency rank
- 31678
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fermes | féroces |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de ferme. | Pluriel de féroce. |
Where the eye mixes fermes and féroces
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. fermes runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against féroces's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: fermes vs féroces
A purely visual mix-up. fermes (\fɛʁm\) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31678, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fermes is recorded at frequency rank #5,659, classified as anadj, pronounced \fɛʁm\. 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 31678, this pair ranks #302,278 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fermes vs féroces
Shared letters: efrs. Private to "fermes": m. Private to "féroces": coé.
"fermes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "féroces" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- fermes ← efrmes · femres · ferems · fermess · fermmes · fermse · ferrmes · ffermes
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fermes" for "féroces" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fermes" or "féroces"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "fermes" and "féroces" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "fermes" 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 #302,278 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fermes" and "féroces" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "féroces vs ferries". 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 #302,278 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.