optvsouiConfusable pair

Quick tell: opt is a verb, oui is an intj, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“opt” is a verb and “oui” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,325
“opt” frequency rank
#44,386
“oui” frequency rank
52711
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature opt oui
Definition To choose; select. Synonym of yes.

Where the eye mixes opt and oui

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
opt
3 ch
oui

Visual trap between opt and oui

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: opt is /ɒpt/ while oui is /wiː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52711, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

opt is recorded at frequency rank #8,325, classified as averb, pronounced /ɒpt/. oui is at rank #44,386, tagged as anintj, pronounced /wiː/.

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 52711, this pair ranks #154,837 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of opt vs oui

Shared letters: o. Private to "opt": pt. Private to "oui": iu.

"opt" · 3 letters · shape VCC  ·  "oui" · 3 letters · shape VVV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "opt" and "oui" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "opt" is a verb and "oui" an intj, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "opt" or "oui"?
"opt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,325 in our English list, against #44,386 for "oui". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "opt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "oui" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #154,837 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "opt" and "oui" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "omi vs oui". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #154,837 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list