alguesvsargusWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“algues” and “argus” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#12,301
“algues” frequency rank
#33,550
“argus” frequency rank
45851
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature algues argus
Definition Pluriel de algue. Publication donnant une cote des voitures en fonction de leur âge et modèle.

Where the eye mixes algues and argus

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
algues
5 ch
argus

Look-alike desk: algues vs argus

A purely visual mix-up. algues (\alɡ\) and argus (\aʁ.ɡys\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45851, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

algues is recorded at frequency rank #12,301, classified as anoun, pronounced \alɡ\. argus is at rank #33,550, tagged as anoun, pronounced \aʁ.ɡys\.

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 45851, this pair ranks #199,542 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of algues vs argus

Shared letters: agsu. Private to "algues": el. Private to "argus": r.

"algues" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC  ·  "argus" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • alguesaglues · algeus · alggues · alguess · alguse · allgues · aluges · lagues
  • argusagrus · arggus · argsu · arguss · arrgus · arugs · ragus

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "algues" for "argus" ever safe?
No. They are said differently (\alɡ\ versus \aʁ.ɡys\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "algues" or "argus"?
"algues" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,301 in our French list, against #33,550 for "argus". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "algues" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "argus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #199,542 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "algues" and "argus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "argus vs aru". 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 #199,542 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list