Which to use
“macros” and “maires” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,776
- “macros” frequency rank
- #5,362
- “maires” frequency rank
- 55138
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | macros | maires |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de macro. | Pluriel de maire. |
Where the eye mixes macros and maires
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. macros (CVCCVC) and maires (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses macros with maires
A purely visual mix-up. macros (\ma.kʁo\) and maires (\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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55138, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
macros is recorded at frequency rank #49,776, classified as anoun, pronounced \ma.kʁo\. maires is at rank #5,362, 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 55138, this pair ranks #129,444 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of macros vs maires
Shared letters: amrs. Private to "macros": co. Private to "maires": ei.
"macros" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "maires" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "macros" for "maires" ever safe?
Which is more common, "macros" or "maires"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "macros" and "maires" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "macros" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "maires" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #129,444 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "macros" and "maires" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "macros vs microns". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #129,444 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.