mètresvsmeulesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,068
“mètres” frequency rank
#32,908
“meules” frequency rank
33976
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mètres meules
Definition Pluriel de mètre. Pluriel de meule.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mètres and meules apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
mètres
6 ch
meules

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mètres (\mɛtʁ\) and meules (\møl\) 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 33976, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mètres is recorded at frequency rank #1,068, classified as anoun, pronounced \mɛtʁ\. meules is at rank #32,908, tagged as anoun, pronounced \møl\.

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 33976, this pair ranks #286,987 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mètres vs meules

Shared letters: ems. Private to "mètres": rtè. Private to "meules": lu.

"mètres" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "meules" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • meulesemules · melues · meuels · meuless · meulles · meulse · mmeules · mueles

Frequency comparison

mètres#1,068
meules#32,908

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mètres" and "meules" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\mɛtʁ\ versus \møl\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mètres" or "meules"?
"mètres" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,068 in our French list, against #32,908 for "meules". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering mètres vs meules

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 “mètres” 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