ru

\ʁy\

/\ʁy\/ noun

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

The verdict

“ru” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #16,467) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#16,467
frequency rank, French
5,742
“R” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Petit ruisseau.

Corpus desk

Index FR-ru · ru · French

ru · rank #16,467 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,467
  • LEN-SHORT 2 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,742
  • PHOTO-FINISH rossi

Nearest frequency peer: rossi (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “ru”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “ru” sits against the nearest ranked French headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ru vs RV
0% similar
ru vs Ry
0% similar
ru vs rue
67% similar

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

Key facts for ru
PropertyValue
Headwordru
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʁy\
Letters2
Frequency rank#16,467
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ru” 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).ru lands here:

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

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

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for ru is neighbouring look-alikes ("RV", "Ry", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced \ʁy\. Frequency #16,467 among 5,742 “R” headwords. Gloss: "Petit ruisseau.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ru, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "RV", "Ry", "rue", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is ru, spelled R-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Petit ruisseau.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how ru appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. En vain, j’avais cherché un ru, dont l’eau fraîche chante sous les feuilles, ou bien une source, comme il s’en trouve pourtant beaucoup dans le pays.
  2. Elle se trouvait à ce moment sur ce plateau de l’Île-de-France, qui du Rouillon à la Thève ne présente aucune rivière, et n’a que quelques rus qui s’emplissent d’eau l’hiver, mais restent l’été entièrement à sec.

Synonyms

ruisseletriot

This word in other languages

rivulet(English)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ru"?
"ru" is spelled R-U. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁy\.
What does "ru" mean?
As a noun, "ru" means: Petit ruisseau.
What words are commonly confused with "ru"?
"ru" is commonly confused with "RV", "Ry", "rue". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ru"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ru" is \ʁy\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ru" come from?
"ru" 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.

What to do next

You've looked up "ru". Here's where to go from here.

  • "ru" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "RV". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #16,467 among French headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more French words in the "R" letter cohort. R–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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