maresvsmètresWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“mares” and “mètres” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#30,698
“mares” frequency rank
#1,068
“mètres” frequency rank
31766
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mares mètres
Definition Pluriel de mare. Pluriel de mètre.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mares and mètres apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
mares
6 ch
mètres

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mares (\maʁ\) and mètres (\mɛtʁ\) 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 31766, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mares is recorded at frequency rank #30,698, classified as anoun, pronounced \maʁ\. mètres is at rank #1,068, tagged as anoun, pronounced \mɛtʁ\.

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 31766, this pair ranks #301,688 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mares vs mètres

Shared letters: emrs. Private to "mares": a. Private to "mètres": .

"mares" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "mètres" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • maresamres · maers · maress · marres · marse · mmares · mraes

Frequency comparison

mares#30,698
mètres#1,068

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mares" and "mètres" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\maʁ\ versus \mɛtʁ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mares" or "mètres"?
"mètres" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,068 in our French list, against #30,698 for "mares". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering mares vs mètres

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 “mares” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list