Which to use
“tir” and “tom” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,969
- “tir” frequency rank
- #2,600
- “tom” frequency rank
- 5569
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tir | tom |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Action, art de tirer, de faire partir une arme de jet ou une arme à feu dans une direction déterminée. | Abréviation courante de tom-tom (instrument de percussion). |
Where the eye mixes tir and tom
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses tir with tom
A purely visual mix-up. tir (\tiʁ\) and tom (\tɔm\) 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 5569, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tir is recorded at frequency rank #2,969, classified as anoun, pronounced \tiʁ\. tom is at rank #2,600, tagged as anoun, pronounced \tɔm\.
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 5569, this pair ranks #428,640 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tir vs tom
Shared letters: t. Private to "tir": ir. Private to "tom": mo.
"tir" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tom" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tir" and "tom" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "tir" or "tom"?
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 "tir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tom" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #428,640 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tir" and "tom" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tif vs tir". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #428,640 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.