mêlésvsmleWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mêlés is a adjective, mle is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mêlés” is an adjective and “mle” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#24,299
“mêlés” frequency rank
#43,557
“mle” frequency rank
67856
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mêlés mle
Definition Masculin pluriel de mêlé. Abréviation de matricule.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mêlés and mle apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
mêlés
3 ch
mle

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: mêlés is anadjective and mleanoun. On the page they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67856, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mêlés is recorded at frequency rank #24,299, classified as anadj, pronounced \me.le\. mle is at rank #43,557, tagged as anoun.

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 67856, this pair ranks #61,642 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mêlés vs mle

Shared letters: lm. Private to "mêlés": séê. Private to "mle": e.

"mêlés" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "mle" · 3 letters · shape CCV

Frequency comparison

mêlés#24,299
mle#43,557

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mêlés" and "mle" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mêlés" is an adjective and "mle" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mêlés" or "mle"?
"mêlés" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,299 in our French list, against #43,557 for "mle". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mêlés vs mle

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “mêlés”; for a noun, it's “mle”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mêlés” 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