Which to use
“méfient” and “méfiez” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,420
- “méfient” frequency rank
- #25,053
- “méfiez” frequency rank
- 66473
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | méfient | méfiez |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de méfier. | Deuxième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de méfier. |
Where the eye mixes méfient and méfiez
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. méfient runs 7 letters (CVCVVCC) against méfiez's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between méfient and méfiez
A purely visual mix-up. méfient (\me.fi\) and méfiez (\me.fje\) 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 66473, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
méfient is recorded at frequency rank #41,420, classified as averb, pronounced \me.fi\. méfiez is at rank #25,053, tagged as averb, pronounced \me.fje\.
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 66473, this pair ranks #67,652 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of méfient vs méfiez
Shared letters: efimé. Private to "méfient": nt. Private to "méfiez": z.
"méfient" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC · "méfiez" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "méfient" and "méfiez" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "méfient" vs "méfiez" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "méfient" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "méfiez" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #67,652 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "méfient" and "méfiez" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "méfiante vs méfient". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #67,652 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.