Which to use
“feu” is a noun and “free” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,641
- “feu” frequency rank
- #211
- “free” frequency rank
- 43852
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | feu | free |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Land held in feudal tenure. | Unconstrained. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set feu and free apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: feu is /fjuː/ while free is /fɹiː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43852, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
feu is recorded at frequency rank #43,641, classified as anoun, pronounced /fjuː/. free is at rank #211, tagged as anadj, pronounced /fɹiː/.
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 43852, this pair ranks #236,095 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of feu vs free
Shared letters: ef. Private to "feu": u. Private to "free": r.
"feu" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "free" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- free ← fere · ffree · fre · frree · rfee
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "feu" and "free" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "feu" or "free"?
Remembering feu vs free
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “feu”; for an adjective, it's “free”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “feu” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable