membrevsMèreWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,034
“membre” frequency rank
#292
“Mère” frequency rank
1326
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature membre Mère
Definition 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. Nom donné à la Vierge Marie.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set membre and Mère apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
membre
4 ch
Mère

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

membre and Mère 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 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1326, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

membre is recorded at frequency rank #1,034, classified as anoun, pronounced \mɑ̃bʁ\. Mère is at rank #292, tagged as anoun, pronounced \mɛʁ\.

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 1326, this pair ranks #438,258 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

membre#1,034
Mère#292

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "membre" and "Mère" be used interchangeably?
No, "membre" and "Mère" 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 membre vs Mère

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 “membre” 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