Which to use
“res” and “rivés” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,853
- “res” frequency rank
- #31,229
- “rivés” frequency rank
- 44082
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | res | rivés |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Deuxième personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent du verbe rêtre. | Participe passé masculin pluriel de river. |
Where the eye mixes res and rivés
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. res runs 3 letters (CVC) against rivés's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses res with rivés
A purely visual mix-up. res (\ʁɛ\) and rivés (\ʁi.ve\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44082, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
res is recorded at frequency rank #12,853, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁɛ\. rivés is at rank #31,229, tagged as averb, pronounced \ʁi.ve\.
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 44082, this pair ranks #213,204 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of res vs rivés
Shared letters: rs. Private to "res": e. Private to "rivés": ivé.
"res" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "rivés" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "res" for "rivés" ever safe?
Which is more common, "res" or "rivés"?
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 "res" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "rivés" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #213,204 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "res" and "rivés" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "râles vs rivés". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #213,204 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.