Which to use
“mâche” and “maire” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,456
- “mâche” frequency rank
- #1,142
- “maire” frequency rank
- 30598
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mâche | maire |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nom vulgaire de Valerianella locusta, plante potagère de la famille des Caprifoliaceae (caprifoliacées) que l'on mange en salade. | Premier officier municipal d’une commune, municipalité ou arrondissement, élu, en France, par les conseillers municipaux à l’issue des élections municipales, en Suisse, soit directement par le corps électoral (Jura), soit chaque année pour une année par le conseil municipal (Genève). |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mâche and maire apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. mâche (\mɑʃ\) and maire (\mɛʁ\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30598, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mâche is recorded at frequency rank #29,456, classified as anoun, pronounced \mɑʃ\. maire is at rank #1,142, tagged as anoun, pronounced \mɛʁ\.
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 30598, this pair ranks #309,220 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mâche vs maire
Shared letters: em. Private to "mâche": châ. Private to "maire": air.
"mâche" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "maire" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- maire ← amire · maier · mairre · marie · miare · mmaire
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mâche" and "maire" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mâche" or "maire"?
Remembering mâche vs maire
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 “mâche” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable