Which to use
“lire” is a verb and “livres” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #491
- “lire” frequency rank
- #903
- “livres” frequency rank
- 1394
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lire | livres |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Interpréter des informations écrites sous forme de mots ou de dessins sur un support. | Pluriel de livre (ouvrage qu’on lit). |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lire and livres apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
lire and livres form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1394, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lire is recorded at frequency rank #491, classified as averb, pronounced \liʁ\. livres is at rank #903, 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 1394, this pair ranks #438,139 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lire" and "livres" be used interchangeably?
Remembering lire vs livres
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “lire”; for a noun, it's “livres”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lire” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable