Which to use
“PME” and “pro” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,800
- “PME” frequency rank
- #1,039
- “pro” frequency rank
- 6839
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | PME | pro |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Entreprise petite ou moyenne (dont la taille est supérieure à 10 salariés et inférieure à 250 salariés et dont le chiffre d’affaires annuel n’excède pas 50 millions d’euros). | Professionnel, professionnelle. |
Where the eye mixes PME and pro
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses PME with pro
A purely visual mix-up. PME (\pe.ɛm.ə\) and pro (\pʁo\) 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 6839, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
PME is recorded at frequency rank #5,800, classified as anoun, pronounced \pe.ɛm.ə\. pro is at rank #1,039, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pʁo\.
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 6839, this pair ranks #425,063 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of PME vs pro
Shared letters: p. Private to "PME": em. Private to "pro": or.
"PME" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "pro" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "PME" for "pro" ever safe?
Which is more common, "PME" or "pro"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "PME" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pro" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #425,063 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "PME" and "pro" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "PME vs prep". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #425,063 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.