métiersvsmettesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,414
“métiers” frequency rank
#34,626
“mettes” frequency rank
38040
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature métiers mettes
Definition Pluriel de métier. Pluriel de mette.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set métiers and mettes apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
métiers
6 ch
mettes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. métiers (\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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38040, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

métiers is recorded at frequency rank #3,414, 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 38040, this pair ranks #258,094 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of métiers vs mettes

Shared letters: emst. Private to "métiers": iré. Private to "mettes": -.

"métiers" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC  ·  "mettes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mettesemttes · metes · metets · mettess · mettse · mmettes · mtetes

Frequency comparison

métiers#3,414
mettes#34,626

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "métiers" and "mettes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\me.tje\ versus \mɛt\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "métiers" or "mettes"?
"métiers" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,414 in our French list, against #34,626 for "mettes". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering métiers vs mettes

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 “métiers” 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