individu

\ɛ̃.di.vi.dy\

/\ɛ̃.di.vi.dy\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“individu” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,720 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,720
frequency rank, French
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Entité autonome qui ne peut être ni partagée ni divisée sans perdre les caractéristiques qui lui sont propres.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

individu vs individus
89% similar
individu vs individuel
80% similar

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

Key facts for individu
PropertyValue
Headwordindividu
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɛ̃.di.vi.dy\
Letters8
Frequency rank#2,720
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “individu” 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). individu 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 individu is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɛ̃.di.vi.dy\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,720 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for individu, with forms such as "idnividu", "inddividu", and "indiivdu". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "individus", "individuel", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is individu, spelled I-N-D-I-V-I-D-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Entité autonome qui ne peut être ni partagée ni divisée sans perdre les caractéristiques qui lui sont propres.
  2. 2
    Chaque spécimen vivant (ou ayant vécu) d'une espèce animale ou végétale, issu d'une seule cellule et menant une existence autonome.
  3. 3
    Personne, être humain considérée en tant qu’unité d'une population et par opposition à la collectivité.
  4. 4
    Personne quelconque, non identifiée ou volontairement considérée comme telle.
  5. 5
    Personne physique.
  6. 6
    constituant d'un ensemble (une « population »), représenté par sa caractéristique étudiée.

Synonyms

ci-devantcitoyenconcitoyenéchantillonélecteurentitéesclaveêtreêtre humainêtre vivantinconnugarsgaziergusmecmodèlehabitanthommeparticulierpéquenaudpersonnepersonne physiquepeigne-culquidamserfspécimensujettête de pipetypeunitézigzigoto

This word in other languages

individual(English)individuo(Español)Einzelwesen(Deutsch)indivíduo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: idnividu,inddividu,indiivdu,indivdiu,individdu,indiviud,indivvidu,indviidu,inidvidu,inndividu,nidividu

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of individu - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

idnividu2inddividu1indiivdu2indivdiu2individdu1indiviud2indivvidu1indviidu2
Edit distance from "individu"

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 "individu"?
"individu" is spelled I-N-D-I-V-I-D-U. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛ̃.di.vi.dy\.
What does "individu" mean?
As a noun, "individu" means: Entité autonome qui ne peut être ni partagée ni divisée sans perdre les caractéristiques qui lui sont propres.
What words are commonly confused with "individu"?
"individu" is commonly confused with "individus", "individuel". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "individu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "individu" is \ɛ̃.di.vi.dy\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "individu" come from?
"individu" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “individu”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is I-N-D-I-V-I-D-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɛ̃.di.vi.dy\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “individus” - see the side-by-side comparison. individu vs individus
  • 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