Which to use
“pairs” and “payés” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,209
- “pairs” frequency rank
- #5,591
- “payés” frequency rank
- 14800
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pairs | payés |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Masculin pluriel de pair. | Masculin pluriel de payé. |
Where the eye mixes pairs and payés
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. pairs (CVVCC) and payés (CVVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between pairs and payés
A purely visual mix-up. pairs (\pɛʁ\) and payés (\pɛ.je\) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14800, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pairs is recorded at frequency rank #9,209, classified as anadj, pronounced \pɛʁ\. payés is at rank #5,591, tagged as anadj, pronounced \pɛ.je\.
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 14800, this pair ranks #395,168 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pairs vs payés
Shared letters: aps. Private to "pairs": ir. Private to "payés": yé.
"pairs" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "payés" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- pairs ← apirs · pairrs · pairss · paisr · piars · ppairs
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pairs" and "payés" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pairs" or "payés"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "pairs" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "payés" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #395,168 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pairs" and "payés" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pairs vs Pamiers". 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 #395,168 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.