Which to use
“métis” is an adjective and “mette” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,806
- “métis” frequency rank
- #6,111
- “mette” frequency rank
- 24917
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | métis | mette |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui est né de parents d’origines différentes. | Première personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de mettre. |
Where the eye mixes métis and mette
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between métis and mette
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: métis is \me.tis\ while mette is \mɛt\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24917, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
métis is recorded at frequency rank #18,806, classified as anadj, pronounced \me.tis\. mette is at rank #6,111, tagged as averb, 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 24917, this pair ranks #343,841 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of métis vs mette
Shared letters: mt. Private to "métis": isé. Private to "mette": e.
"métis" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "mette" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- mette ← emtte · mete · metet · mmette · mtete
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "métis" and "mette" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "métis" or "mette"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "métis" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mette" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #343,841 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "métis" and "mette" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mercis vs métis". 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 #343,841 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.