Which to use
“autour” is an adverb and “autours” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #502
- “autour” frequency rank
- #35,819
- “autours” frequency rank
- 36321
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | autour | autours |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Aux alentours ; aux environs. | Pluriel de autour. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set autour and autours apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: autour and autours carry the same recorded pronunciation, \o.tuʁ\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadverb, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “autour” sits inside “autours”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36321, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
autour is recorded at frequency rank #502, classified as anadv, pronounced \o.tuʁ\. autours is at rank #35,819, tagged as anoun, pronounced \o.tuʁ\.
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 36321, this pair ranks #270,422 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of autour vs autours
Shared letters: aortu. Private to "autour": -. Private to "autours": s.
"autour" · 6 letters · shape VVCVVC · "autours" · 7 letters · shape VVCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "autour" and "autours" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "autour" or "autours"?
Remembering autour vs autours
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “autour”; for a noun, it's “autours”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “autour” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable