Which to use
“mépris” is a noun and “mépriser” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,964
- “mépris” frequency rank
- #21,405
- “mépriser” frequency rank
- 26369
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mépris | mépriser |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Sentiment par lequel on juge une personne ou une chose indigne d’estime, d’égards, d’attention. | Considérer quelqu’un comme indigne d’estime. |
Where the eye mixes mépris and mépriser
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. mépris runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against mépriser's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: mépris vs mépriser
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mépris is \me.pʁi\ while mépriser is \me.pʁi.ze\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “mépris” sits inside “mépriser”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26369, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mépris is recorded at frequency rank #4,964, classified as anoun, pronounced \me.pʁi\. mépriser is at rank #21,405, tagged as averb, pronounced \me.pʁi.ze\.
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 26369, this pair ranks #335,430 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mépris vs mépriser
Shared letters: imprsé. Private to "mépris": -. Private to "mépriser": e.
"mépris" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "mépriser" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mépris" and "mépriser" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mépris" or "mépriser"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "mépris" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mépriser" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #335,430 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mépris" and "mépriser" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mépriser vs méprisés". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #335,430 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.