Which to use
“lèvre” and “livre” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,423
- “lèvre” frequency rank
- #449
- “livre” frequency rank
- 13872
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lèvre | livre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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. | Assemblage de feuilles manuscrites ou imprimées destinées à être lues. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lèvre and livre apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. lèvre (\lɛvʁ\) and livre (\livʁ\) 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 a single letter - è in “lèvre” becomes i in “livre”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13872, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lèvre is recorded at frequency rank #13,423, classified as anoun, pronounced \lɛvʁ\. livre is at rank #449, tagged as anoun, pronounced \livʁ\.
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 13872, this pair ranks #399,199 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lèvre vs livre
Shared letters: elrv. Private to "lèvre": è. Private to "livre": i.
"lèvre" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "livre" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- livre ← ilvre · lirve · liver · livrre · livvre · llivre · lvire
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lèvre" and "livre" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lèvre" or "livre"?
Remembering lèvre vs livre
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lèvre” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable