Which to use
“aux” is an article and “av” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #58
- “aux” frequency rank
- #4,732
- “av” frequency rank
- 4790
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aux | av |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Contraction obligatoire de la préposition à et de l'article défini les. | Onzième mois du calendrier hébraïque. |
Where the eye mixes aux and av
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses aux with av
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: aux is \o\ while av is \av\. 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 (article vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4790, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aux is recorded at frequency rank #58, classified as anarticle, pronounced \o\. av is at rank #4,732, tagged as anoun, pronounced \av\.
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 4790, this pair ranks #430,686 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aux vs av
Shared letters: a. Private to "aux": ux. Private to "av": v.
"aux" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "av" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aux" and "av" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "aux" or "av" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "aux" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "av" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #430,686 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aux" and "av" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "av vs aves". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #430,686 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.