meilleurvsmeilleursWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#367
“meilleur” frequency rank
#968
“meilleurs” frequency rank
1335
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature meilleur meilleurs
Definition Comparatif de bon. Qui est d’un degré supérieur à bon, qui vaut plus que la personne ou la chose à laquelle on le compare. Masculin pluriel de meilleur.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set meilleur and meilleurs apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
meilleur
9 ch
meilleurs

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

meilleur and meilleurs form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “meilleur” sits inside “meilleurs” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1335, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

meilleur is recorded at frequency rank #367, classified as anadj, pronounced \mɛ.jœʁ\. meilleurs is at rank #968, tagged as anadj, pronounced \mɛ.jœʁ\.

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 1335, this pair ranks #438,249 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

meilleur#367
meilleurs#968

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "meilleur" and "meilleurs" be used interchangeably?
No, "meilleur" and "meilleurs" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering meilleur vs meilleurs

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 “meilleur” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list