remédiervsremercierWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,776
“remédier” frequency rank
#4,277
“remercier” frequency rank
15053
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature remédier remercier
Definition Porter remède, apporter du remède. Rendre grâce, exprimer la gratitude.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set remédier and remercier apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
remédier
9 ch
remercier

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. remédier (\ʁə.me.dje\) and remercier (\ʁə.mɛʁ.sje\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15053, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

remédier is recorded at frequency rank #10,776, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁə.me.dje\. remercier is at rank #4,277, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁə.mɛʁ.sje\.

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 15053, this pair ranks #394,072 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of remédier vs remercier

Shared letters: eimr. Private to "remédier": . Private to "remercier": c.

"remédier" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC  ·  "remercier" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • remercierermercier · reemrcier · remecrier · remerccier · remerceir · remercierr · remercire · remericer

Frequency comparison

remédier#10,776
remercier#4,277

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "remédier" and "remercier" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʁə.me.dje\ versus \ʁə.mɛʁ.sje\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "remédier" or "remercier"?
"remercier" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,277 in our French list, against #10,776 for "remédier". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering remédier vs remercier

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 “remédier” 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