Which to use
“aïeux” is a noun and “aigu” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,331
- “aïeux” frequency rank
- #14,595
- “aigu” frequency rank
- 41926
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aïeux | aigu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de aïeul : tous ceux de qui l’on descend. | Qui a un aspect pointu, tranchant, voire déchirant. |
Where the eye mixes aïeux and aigu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. aïeux runs 5 letters (VCVVC) against aigu's 4 (VVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: aïeux vs aigu
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: aïeux is \a.jø\ while aigu is \e.ɡy\. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41926, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aïeux is recorded at frequency rank #27,331, classified as anoun, pronounced \a.jø\. aigu is at rank #14,595, tagged as anadj, pronounced \e.ɡy\.
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 41926, this pair ranks #229,520 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of aïeux vs aigu
Shared letters: au. Private to "aïeux": exï. Private to "aigu": gi.
"aïeux" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC · "aigu" · 4 letters · shape VVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- aigu ← agiu · aiggu · aiug · iagu
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aïeux" and "aigu" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "aïeux" or "aigu"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "aïeux" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aigu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #229,520 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aïeux" and "aigu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "AIEA vs aïeux". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #229,520 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.