Which to use
“métier” and “mettes” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,826
- “métier” frequency rank
- #34,626
- “mettes” frequency rank
- 36452
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | métier | mettes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Activité impliquant l’acquisition d’un savoir-faire particulier. | Pluriel de mette. |
Where the eye mixes métier and mettes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. métier (CVCVVC) and mettes (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: métier vs mettes
A purely visual mix-up. métier (\me.tje\) and mettes (\mɛt\) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36452, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
métier is recorded at frequency rank #1,826, classified as anoun, pronounced \me.tje\. mettes is at rank #34,626, tagged as anoun, pronounced \mɛt\.
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 36452, this pair ranks #269,518 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of métier vs mettes
Shared letters: emt. Private to "métier": iré. Private to "mettes": s.
"métier" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "mettes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- mettes ← emttes · metes · metets · mettess · mettse · mmettes · mtetes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "métier" and "mettes" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "métier" or "mettes"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "métier" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mettes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #269,518 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "métier" and "mettes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mettes vs muettes". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #269,518 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.