Which to use
“foes” is a noun and “fou” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,472
- “foes” frequency rank
- #48,244
- “fou” frequency rank
- 64716
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | foes | fou |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of foe | Drunk. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set foes and fou apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: foes is anoun and fouanadjective. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64716, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
foes is recorded at frequency rank #16,472, classified as anoun, pronounced /fəʊz/. fou is at rank #48,244, tagged as anadj.
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 64716, this pair ranks #76,302 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of foes vs fou
Shared letters: fo. Private to "foes": es. Private to "fou": u.
"foes" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "fou" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- foes ← feos · ffoes · foess · fose · ofes
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "foes" and "fou" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "foes" or "fou"?
Remembering foes vs fou
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “foes”; for an adjective, it's “fou”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “foes” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable