argus

\aʁ.ɡys\

/\aʁ.ɡys\/ noun

The verdict

“argus” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #33,550 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#33,550
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Publication donnant une cote des voitures en fonction de leur âge et modèle.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

argus vs ars
60% similar
argus vs aus
60% similar
argus vs aru
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for argus
PropertyValue
Headwordargus
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\aʁ.ɡys\
Letters5
Frequency rank#33,550
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “argus” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). argus lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for argus is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \aʁ.ɡys\. Corpus data places it at rank #33,550 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for argus, with forms such as "agrus", "arggus", and "argsu". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ars", "aus", "aru", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is argus, spelled A-R-G-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Publication donnant une cote des voitures en fonction de leur âge et modèle.
  2. 2
    (Par extension) Publication similaire dans d’autres domaines.
  3. 3
    Nom de plusieurs espèces d’animaux offrant des taches que l’on a comparées à des yeux.
  4. 4
    Nom donné à deux genres monospécifiques d'oiseaux de l’ordre des galliformes et de la famille des phasianidés, habitant les forêts matures de l'Indochine et de l'Indonésie, à tête dénudée et à cris extrêmement perçants, dont le mâle possède deux très longues rectrices caudales ainsi que de très longues rémiges ocellées à la façon des paons, et qu’il déploie lors d'une pariade spectaculaire.
  5. 5
    Surveillant, espion.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: agrus,arggus,argsu,arguss,arrgus,arugs,ragus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of argus - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

agrus2arggus1argsu2arguss1arrgus1arugs2ragus2
Edit distance from "argus"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "argus"?
"argus" is spelled A-R-G-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is \aʁ.ɡys\.
What does "argus" mean?
As a noun, "argus" means: Publication donnant une cote des voitures en fonction de leur âge et modèle.
What words are commonly confused with "argus"?
"argus" is commonly confused with "ars", "aus", "aru". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "argus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "argus" is \aʁ.ɡys\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "argus" come from?
"argus" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “argus”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is A-R-G-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \aʁ.ɡys\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ars” - see the side-by-side comparison. argus vs ars
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list