libresvslièvresWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: libres is a adjective, lièvres is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“libres” is an adjective and “lièvres” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,933
“libres” frequency rank
#41,388
“lièvres” frequency rank
44321
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature libres lièvres
Definition Pluriel de libre. Pluriel de lièvre.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set libres and lièvres apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
libres
7 ch
lièvres

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: libres is \libʁ\ while lièvres is \ljɛvʁ\. 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 44321, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

libres is recorded at frequency rank #2,933, classified as anadj, pronounced \libʁ\. 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 44321, this pair ranks #211,313 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of libres vs lièvres

Shared letters: eilrs. Private to "libres": b. Private to "lièvres": .

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • libresilbres · lbires · libbres · libers · libress · librres · librse · lirbes

Frequency comparison

libres#2,933
lièvres#41,388

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "libres" and "lièvres" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "libres" is an adjective and "lièvres" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "libres" or "lièvres"?
"libres" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,933 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 libres vs lièvres

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “libres”; for a noun, it's “lièvres”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “libres” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list