lèvres vs lièvres, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“lèvres” and “lièvres” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,934
“lèvres” frequency rank: #41,388
“lièvres” frequency rank: 44322
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	lèvres	lièvres
Definition	Pluriel de lèvre.	Pluriel de lièvre.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lèvres and lièvres apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

lèvres

7 ch

lièvres

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lèvres (\lɛvʁ\) and lièvres (\ljɛvʁ\) 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 44322, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lèvres is recorded at frequency rank #2,934, classified as anoun, pronounced \lɛvʁ\. lièvres is at rank #41,388, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ljɛvʁ\.

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 44322, this pair ranks #211,301 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lèvres vs lièvres

Shared letters: elrsvè. Private to "lèvres": -. Private to "lièvres": i.

"lèvres" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "lièvres" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Frequency comparison

lèvres#2,934

lièvres#41,388

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lèvres" and "lièvres" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently (\lɛvʁ\ versus \ljɛvʁ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "lèvres" or "lièvres"?

"lèvres" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,934 in our French list, against #41,388 for "lièvres". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering lèvres vs lièvres

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 “lèvres” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable