Which to use
“légère” is an adjective and “lèvre” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,019
- “légère” frequency rank
- #13,423
- “lèvre” frequency rank
- 16442
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | légère | lèvre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin singulier de léger. | Partie extérieure et charnue qui borde la bouche, qui couvre les dents et qui aide à la formation des sons, à l’articulation des mots. Note d’usage : Très souvent employé au pluriel pour comprendre la lèvre supérieure et la lèvre inférieure. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set légère and lèvre apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: légère is \le.ʒɛʁ\ while lèvre is \lɛvʁ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16442, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
légère is recorded at frequency rank #3,019, classified as anadj, pronounced \le.ʒɛʁ\. lèvre is at rank #13,423, tagged as anoun, pronounced \lɛvʁ\.
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 16442, this pair ranks #387,828 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of légère vs lèvre
Shared letters: elrè. Private to "légère": gé. Private to "lèvre": v.
"légère" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "lèvre" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "légère" and "lèvre" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "légère" or "lèvre"?
Remembering légère vs lèvre
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “légère”; for a noun, it's “lèvre”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “légère” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable