Which to use
“mis” is a verb and “mm” is a symbol - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #339
- “mis” frequency rank
- #1,092
- “mm” frequency rank
- 1431
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mis | mm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Participe passé masculin de mettre. | Symbole du millimètre, unité de mesure de longueur du Système international (SI), valant 0,001 mètre (10⁻³ mètre). |
Where the eye mixes mis and mm
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between mis and mm
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mis is \mi\ while mm is \mi.li.mɛtʁ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs symbol), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1431, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mis is recorded at frequency rank #339, classified as averb, pronounced \mi\. mm is at rank #1,092, tagged as asymbol, 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 1431, this pair ranks #438,074 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mis vs mm
Shared letters: m. Private to "mis": is. Private to "mm": -.
"mis" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "mm" · 2 letters · shape CC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mis" for "mm" ever safe?
Frequency check: "mis" vs "mm" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mis" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mm" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #438,074 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mis" and "mm" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mm vs MWh". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #438,074 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.