Which to use
“fier” is an adjective and “free” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,365
- “fier” frequency rank
- #3,537
- “free” frequency rank
- 5902
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fier | free |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui éprouve une envie d’amour-propre souvent fondée. | Teuf, fête gratuite. |
Where the eye mixes fier and free
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: fier vs free
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fier is \fjɛʁ\ while free is \fʁi\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5902, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fier is recorded at frequency rank #2,365, classified as anadj, pronounced \fjɛʁ\. free is at rank #3,537, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fʁi\.
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 5902, this pair ranks #427,728 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fier vs free
Shared letters: efr. Private to "fier": i. Private to "free": -.
"fier" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "free" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "fier" and "free" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "fier" or "free"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fier" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "free" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #427,728 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fier" and "free" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fee vs free". 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 #427,728 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.