Which to use
“maîtresse” is a noun and “maîtresses” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,367
- “maîtresse” frequency rank
- #21,391
- “maîtresses” frequency rank
- 26758
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maîtresse | maîtresses |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Celle qui a un pouvoir de domination sur les êtres ou les choses. | Féminin pluriel de maître. |
Same sound, different letters: maîtresse vs maîtresses
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 9 letters. maîtresse runs 9 letters (CVVCCVCCV) against maîtresses's 10 (CVVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Same sound, different spelling - maîtresse / maîtresses
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: maîtresse and maîtresses carry the same recorded pronunciation, \mɛ.tʁɛs\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “maîtresse” sits inside “maîtresses”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26758, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
maîtresse is recorded at frequency rank #5,367, classified as anoun, pronounced \mɛ.tʁɛs\. maîtresses is at rank #21,391, tagged as anadj, pronounced \mɛ.tʁɛs\.
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 26758, this pair ranks #333,026 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of maîtresse vs maîtresses
Shared letters: aemrstî. Private to "maîtresse": -. Private to "maîtresses": -.
"maîtresse" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCVCCV · "maîtresses" · 10 letters · shape CVVCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "maîtresse" for "maîtresses" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "maîtresse" or "maîtresses" show up more?
What to do next
"maîtresse" and "maîtresses" share a sound, keep the gloss open, then jump to the headword or a nearby trap.
- Full dictionary entry for "maîtresse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "maîtresses" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #333,026 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "maîtresse" and "maîtresses" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maîtresses vs maîtrises". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #333,026 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.