millimètrevsmillimètresWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#26,438
“millimètre” frequency rank
#14,738
“millimètres” frequency rank
41176
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature millimètre millimètres
Definition Unité de mesure de longueur du Système international (SI), valant 10⁻³ mètre, et dont le symbole est mm. Pluriel de millimètre.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set millimètre and millimètres apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
millimètre
11 ch
millimètres

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. millimètre and millimètres are pronounced identically (\mi.li.mɛtʁ\) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “millimètre” sits inside “millimètres”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41176, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

millimètre is recorded at frequency rank #26,438, classified as anoun, pronounced \mi.li.mɛtʁ\. millimètres is at rank #14,738, tagged as anoun, pronounced \mi.li.mɛtʁ\.

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 41176, this pair ranks #235,056 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of millimètre vs millimètres

Shared letters: eilmrtè. Private to "millimètre": -. Private to "millimètres": s.

"millimètre" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCV  ·  "millimètres" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

millimètre#26,438
millimètres#14,738

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "millimètre" and "millimètres" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same (\mi.li.mɛtʁ\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.
Which is more common, "millimètre" or "millimètres"?
"millimètres" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,738 in our French list, against #26,438 for "millimètre". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering millimètre vs millimètres

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 “millimètre” 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