Français homophones

cou/coup/coups/coût/coûts/kou

"coup" (#226 written frequency) beats "coups" (#1,227) in this 6-word /\ku\/ cluster. Size rank #20 of 9,139 French groups.

Data vintage 2026-05-06

Frequency splits the cluster

These 6 spellings keep the same /\ku\/ reading, but written frequency splits them hard: "coup" leads at #226, with "coups" trailing at #1,227.

Spelling pairs in this cluster

Shared stem "cou" then splits - "cou" (3 letters) vs "coup" (4).
Shared stem "cou" then splits - "cou" (3 letters) vs "coups" (5).
Shared stem "co" then splits - "cou" (3 letters) vs "coût" (4).
Shared stem "co" then splits - "cou" (3 letters) vs "coûts" (5).
No shared spelling stem: "cou" is 3 letters, "kou" is 3; only the sound ties them.
Shared stem "coup" then splits - "coup" (4 letters) vs "coups" (5).
Shared stem "co" then splits - "coup" (4 letters) vs "coût" (4).
Shared stem "co" then splits - "coup" (4 letters) vs "coûts" (5).
No shared spelling stem: "coup" is 4 letters, "kou" is 3; only the sound ties them.
Shared stem "co" then splits - "coups" (5 letters) vs "coût" (4).
Shared stem "co" then splits - "coups" (5 letters) vs "coûts" (5).
No shared spelling stem: "coups" is 5 letters, "kou" is 3; only the sound ties them.
Shared stem "coût" then splits - "coût" (4 letters) vs "coûts" (5).
No shared spelling stem: "coût" is 4 letters, "kou" is 3; only the sound ties them.
No shared spelling stem: "coûts" is 5 letters, "kou" is 3; only the sound ties them.

Orthographic DNA of this cluster

Shared letters across cou, coup, coups, coût, coûts, kou: o. Private letters are the ones only one spelling owns: the eye's fastest tell once sound is out of the picture.

cou
3 letters · 2 vowels · shape CVV
Inventory cou · private cu
coup
4 letters · 2 vowels · shape CVVC
Inventory copu · private cpu
coups
5 letters · 2 vowels · shape CVVCC
Inventory copsu · private cpsu
coût
4 letters · 2 vowels · shape CVVC
Inventory cotû · private ctû
coûts
5 letters · 2 vowels · shape CVVCC
Inventory costû · private cstû
kou
3 letters · 2 vowels · shape CVV
Inventory kou · private ku

Pick the spelling from the meaning

Write "cou" when you mean: Partie du corps qui joint la tête aux épaules.
Write "coup" when you mean: Impression que fait un corps sur un autre en le frappant.
Write "coups" when you mean: Pluriel de coup.
Write "coût" when you mean: Ce qu’une chose coûte ; son prix de revient.
Write "coûts" when you mean: Pluriel de coût.
Write "kou" when you mean: Tambour chinois.