Which to use
“maire” and “maline” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,142
- “maire” frequency rank
- #46,280
- “maline” frequency rank
- 47422
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maire | maline |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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). | Grandes marées qui ont lieu à la nouvelle et à la pleine lune, et dont les plus considérables arrivent aux équinoxes. On l’emploie surtout au pluriel. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set maire and maline apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. maire (\mɛʁ\) and maline (\ma.lin\) 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 47422, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
maire is recorded at frequency rank #1,142, classified as anoun, pronounced \mɛʁ\. maline is at rank #46,280, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ma.lin\.
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 47422, this pair ranks #187,085 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of maire vs maline
Shared letters: aeim. Private to "maire": r. Private to "maline": ln.
"maire" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "maline" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "maire" and "maline" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "maire" or "maline"?
Remembering maire vs maline
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 “maire” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable