Which to use
“mêlées” is an adjective and “mètres” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #34,210
- “mêlées” frequency rank
- #1,068
- “mètres” frequency rank
- 35278
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mêlées | mètres |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin pluriel de mêlé. | Pluriel de mètre. |
Where the eye mixes mêlées and mètres
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. mêlées (CVCVVC) and mètres (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses mêlées with mètres
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mêlées is \mɛ.le\ while mètres is \mɛtʁ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35278, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mêlées is recorded at frequency rank #34,210, classified as anadj, pronounced \mɛ.le\. 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 35278, this pair ranks #277,905 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mêlées vs mètres
Shared letters: ems. Private to "mêlées": léê. Private to "mètres": rtè.
"mêlées" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "mètres" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mêlées" and "mètres" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "mêlées" or "mètres" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mêlées" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mètres" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #277,905 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mêlées" and "mètres" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "malles vs mêlées". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #277,905 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.