mèresvsmétéoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,253
“mères” frequency rank
#3,550
“météo” frequency rank
7803
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mères météo
Definition Pluriel de mère. Temps (conditions météorologiques).

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mères and météo apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
mères
5 ch
météo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mères (\mɛʁ\) and météo (\me.te.o\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7803, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mères is recorded at frequency rank #4,253, classified as anoun, pronounced \mɛʁ\. météo is at rank #3,550, tagged as anoun, pronounced \me.te.o\.

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 7803, this pair ranks #422,071 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mères vs météo

Shared letters: m. Private to "mères": ersè. Private to "météo": oté.

"mères" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "météo" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV

Frequency comparison

mères#4,253
météo#3,550

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mères" and "météo" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\mɛʁ\ versus \me.te.o\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mères" or "météo"?
"météo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,550 in our French list, against #4,253 for "mères". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mères vs météo

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 “mères” 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