Which to use
“membrane” and “membre” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,439
- “membrane” frequency rank
- #1,034
- “membre” frequency rank
- 16473
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | membrane | membre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tissu organique animal servant à former, envelopper, séparer ou tapisser des cellules ou des organes. | Partie extérieure du corps d’un être humain ou d’un animal, distinguée de toutes les autres par quelque fonction particulière. Note d’usage : Se dit principalement des bras et des jambes ; ne se dit jamais de la tête. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set membrane and membre apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. membrane (\mɑ̃.bʁan\) and membre (\mɑ̃bʁ\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16473, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
membrane is recorded at frequency rank #15,439, classified as anoun, pronounced \mɑ̃.bʁan\. membre is at rank #1,034, tagged as anoun, pronounced \mɑ̃bʁ\.
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 16473, this pair ranks #387,677 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of membrane vs membre
Shared letters: bemr. Private to "membrane": an. Private to "membre": -.
"membrane" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV · "membre" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "membrane" and "membre" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "membrane" or "membre"?
Remembering membrane vs membre
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 “membrane” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable