ouvrevsouvrirWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,369
“ouvre” frequency rank
#1,186
“ouvrir” frequency rank
2555
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ouvre ouvrir
Definition Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de ouvrir. Faire que ce qui était clos, fermé, ne le soit plus.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
ouvre
6 ch
ouvrir

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

ouvre and ouvrir form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2555, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ouvre is recorded at frequency rank #1,369, classified as averb, pronounced \uvʁ\. ouvrir is at rank #1,186, tagged as averb, pronounced \u.vʁiʁ\.

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 2555, this pair ranks #435,928 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

ouvre#1,369
ouvrir#1,186

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ouvre" and "ouvrir" be used interchangeably?
No, "ouvre" and "ouvrir" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering ouvre vs ouvrir

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 “ouvre” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list