zu

\t͡suː\

/\t͡suː\/ prep

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

The verdict

“zu” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #22,460) as a preposition. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#22,460
frequency rank, French
240
“Z” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - À, chez, vers, en direction de, Indique la direction, le déplacement (sens directionnel).

Corpus desk

Index FR-zu · zu · French

zu · rank #22,460 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,460
  • LEN-SHORT 2 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 240
  • PHOTO-FINISH zizi

Nearest frequency peer: zizi (-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 “zu”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “zu” 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).

zu vs zut
67% similar
zu vs zur
67% similar
zu vs zum
67% similar

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

Key facts for zu
PropertyValue
Headwordzu
LanguageFrench
Part of speechPreposition
IPA\t͡suː\
Letters2
Frequency rank#22,460
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “zu” 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). zu 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 zu is neighbouring look-alikes ("zut", "zur", …), not just typos; it is apreposition pronounced \t͡suː\. Frequency #22,460 among 240 “Z” headwords. 23 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for zu, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "zut", "zur", "zum", 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 easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is zu, spelled Z-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    À, chez, vers, en direction de, Indique la direction, le déplacement (sens directionnel).
  2. 2
    À, de, en, le ...Indique l’époque
  3. 3
    Pour, avec, au, Indique la circonstance, l’occasion.
  4. 4
    En, à, Indique le moyen.
  5. 5
    À, par, pour, Indique un moyen de comptabilité.
  6. 6
    À, en, indique le résultat d’une action ou d’un événement.
  7. 7
    Chez, à, indique un mouvement vers la proximité de quelqu'un ou quelque chose.
  8. 8
    À, indique que l’on prend part à un évènement.
  9. 9
    À, indique que l’on fréquente une institution.
  10. 10
    À, indique une direction vers des autres éléments.
  11. 11
    bis zu: Jusqu’à, indique un limite dans le sens spatial.
  12. 12
    von ... zu: indique un mouvement répétitif entre des éléments pareils.
  13. 13
    zu ... herein, hinein, heraus, hinaus: indique un mouvement par une entrée.
  14. 14
    À, indique le lieu où quelque chose se trouve ou déroule.
  15. 15
    À, indique que quelque chose se trouve dans la ville donnée.
  16. 16
    Complément de nom séparé devant le nom de famille (de l’ancienne noblesse), prédicat de noblesse (pour les noms de personnes nobles). Aussi von und zu.
  17. 17
    Forme souvent partie des noms d'auberges.
  18. 18
    bis zu: Jusqu’à, indique un limite dans le sens temporel.
  19. 19
    bis zu: Jusqu’à, indique une durée maximale.
  20. 20
    À, indique le passage d’une étape à l’autre.
  21. 21
    von ... zu ...: dans le cas de deux noms identiques, indique une répétition.
  22. 22
    bis zu: Jusqu’à, désigne la limite supérieure.
  23. 23
    bis zu: Jusqu’à, désigne la fin d'un mouvement.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ich gehe zum Friseur, zu meiner Mutter, zum Ausgang.
  2. Die Vase ist zu Boden gefallen.

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 "zu"?
"zu" is spelled Z-U. The IPA pronunciation is \t͡suː\.
What does "zu" mean?
As a preposition, "zu" means: À, chez, vers, en direction de, Indique la direction, le déplacement (sens directionnel).
What words are commonly confused with "zu"?
"zu" is commonly confused with "zut", "zur", "zum". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "zu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zu" is \t͡suː\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "zu" come from?
"zu" 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.

What to do next

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

  • "zu" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "zut". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #22,460 among French headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more French words in the "Z" letter cohort. Z–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