Which to use
“vins” and “vire” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,370
- “vins” frequency rank
- #9,094
- “vire” frequency rank
- 12464
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vins | vire |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de vin. | Étroite plate-forme ou corniche sur les flancs d’une paroi rocheuse, sentier serpentant le long d’une montagne. |
Where the eye mixes vins and vire
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. vins (CVCC) and vire (CVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses vins with vire
A purely visual mix-up. vins (\vɛ̃\) and vire (\viʁ\) 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 12464, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vins is recorded at frequency rank #3,370, classified as anoun, pronounced \vɛ̃\. vire is at rank #9,094, tagged as anoun, pronounced \viʁ\.
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 12464, this pair ranks #405,161 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vins vs vire
Shared letters: iv. Private to "vins": ns. Private to "vire": er.
"vins" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "vire" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "vins" and "vire" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "vins" or "vire"?
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 "vins" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vire" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #405,161 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vins" and "vire" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vire vs viv". 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 #405,161 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.