Which to use
“maîtrise” is a noun and “maîtriser” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,276
- “maîtrise” frequency rank
- #7,341
- “maîtriser” frequency rank
- 10617
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maîtrise | maîtriser |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qualité de maître, en parlant des métiers. | Avoir ou prendre la maîtrise de quelqu’un, de quelque chose, le gouverner en maître, avec une autorité absolue. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set maîtrise and maîtriser apart are highlighted. They share 8 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: maîtrise is \mɛ.tʁiz\ while maîtriser is \me.tʁi.ze\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “maîtrise” sits inside “maîtriser”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10617, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
maîtrise is recorded at frequency rank #3,276, classified as anoun, pronounced \mɛ.tʁiz\. maîtriser is at rank #7,341, tagged as averb, pronounced \me.tʁi.ze\.
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 10617, this pair ranks #412,300 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of maîtrise vs maîtriser
Shared letters: aeimrstî. Private to "maîtrise": -. Private to "maîtriser": -.
"maîtrise" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVCV · "maîtriser" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCVCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "maîtrise" and "maîtriser" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "maîtrise" or "maîtriser"?
Remembering maîtrise vs maîtriser
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “maîtrise”; for a verb, it's “maîtriser”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “maîtrise” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable