Which to use
“maîtres” is an adjective and “maîtrises” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,083
- “maîtres” frequency rank
- #32,905
- “maîtrises” frequency rank
- 36988
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maîtres | maîtrises |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Masculin pluriel de maître. | Pluriel de maîtrise. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set maîtres and maîtrises apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: maîtres is \mɛtʁ\ while maîtrises is \me.tʁiz\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 36988, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
maîtres is recorded at frequency rank #4,083, classified as anadj, pronounced \mɛtʁ\. maîtrises is at rank #32,905, tagged as anoun, pronounced \me.tʁiz\.
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 36988, this pair ranks #265,697 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of maîtres vs maîtrises
Shared letters: aemrstî. Private to "maîtres": -. Private to "maîtrises": i.
"maîtres" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC · "maîtrises" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCVCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "maîtres" and "maîtrises" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "maîtres" or "maîtrises"?
Remembering maîtres vs maîtrises
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “maîtres”; for a noun, it's “maîtrises”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “maîtres” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable