jeu

\ʒø\

/\ʒø\/ noun

The verdict

“jeu” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #267 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#267
frequency rank, French
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Divertissement, activité avec des règles, pouvant être exercé seul, ou en groupe, pour s’amuser.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

jeu vs jo
33% similar
jeu vs JT
0% similar
jeu vs ji
33% similar

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

Key facts for jeu
PropertyValue
Headwordjeu
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʒø\
Letters3
Frequency rank#267
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “jeu” 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). jeu 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 jeu is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʒø\. Corpus data places it at rank #267 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 17 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for jeu, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "jo", "JT", "ji", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is jeu, spelled J-E-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Divertissement, activité avec des règles, pouvant être exercé seul, ou en groupe, pour s’amuser.
  2. 2
    Activité où l’on mise de l’argent dans l’espoir d’en gagner plus.
  3. 3
    Fait de s’amuser, de jouer.
  4. 4
    Interprétation d’un rôle par un acteur au théâtre ou au cinéma.
  5. 5
    Interprétation d’un morceau par un musicien.
  6. 6
    Façon de jouer, de mener une partie, d’exécuter quelque chose.
  7. 7
    Manière dont se déroule un phénomène, dont s’exécute un mécanisme.
  8. 8
    Suite d’actions, d’événements.
  9. 9
    Ensemble de choses qui vont ensemble, de même type.
  10. 10
    Ensemble de tuyaux d’orgue ayant une conception et une sonorité similaires ; registre.
  11. 11
    Espace entre deux pièces provoquant un mouvement non désiré entre elles, une amplitude de mouvement trop grande, un serrage ou tension trop lâche.
  12. 12
    Espace entre deux pièces donnant une liberté de mouvement acceptable ou nécessaire dans un mécanisme ou un montage, sans que le mouvement en question fasse partie des fonctions du mécanisme.
  13. 13
    Division d’une partie sportive, et en particulier d’une manche (tennis, pelote basque).
  14. 14
    Quelque chose de particulièrement facile. Ellipse de « jeu d’enfant ».
  15. 15
    Concours, loterie pour des événements promotionnels.
  16. 16
    Matériel servant à jouer, constitutif de l’activité ludique en question.
  17. 17
    Ensemble des cartes dont chacun des joueurs doit se servir, les points qu’on amène aux dés ; ou, en général, situation dans laquelle on se trouve par rapport à son adversaire.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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 "jeu"?
"jeu" is spelled J-E-U. The IPA pronunciation is \ʒø\.
What does "jeu" mean?
As a noun, "jeu" means: Divertissement, activité avec des règles, pouvant être exercé seul, ou en groupe, pour s’amuser.
What words are commonly confused with "jeu"?
"jeu" is commonly confused with "jo", "JT", "ji". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "jeu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "jeu" is \ʒø\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "jeu" come from?
"jeu" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “jeu”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is J-E-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʒø\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “jo” - see the side-by-side comparison. jeu vs jo
  • 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