Which to use
“adj” is a noun and “au” is an article - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #41,628
- “adj” frequency rank
- #24
- “au” frequency rank
- 41652
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | adj | au |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Adjectif. | Contraction de la préposition à et de l'article défini le. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set adj and au apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: adj is \adʒ\ while au is \o\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs article), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41652, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
adj is recorded at frequency rank #41,628, classified as anoun, pronounced \adʒ\. au is at rank #24, tagged as anarticle, pronounced \o\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 41652, this pair ranks #231,492 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of adj vs au
Shared letters: a. Private to "adj": dj. Private to "au": u.
"adj" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "au" · 2 letters · shape VV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "adj" and "au" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "adj" or "au"?
Remembering adj vs au
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “adj”; for an article, it's “au”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “adj” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable