Which to use
“cœur” is a noun and “cru” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #552
- “cœur” frequency rank
- #1,326
- “cru” frequency rank
- 1878
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cœur | cru |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Organe musculaire, creux et pulsatile assurant la circulation sanguine dans le corps humain ou animal. | Qui n’est pas cuit. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cœur and cru apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters 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: cœur is \kœʁ\ while cru is \kʁy\. 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 1878, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cœur is recorded at frequency rank #552, classified as anoun, pronounced \kœʁ\. cru is at rank #1,326, tagged as anadj, pronounced \kʁy\.
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 1878, this pair ranks #437,211 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cœur vs cru
Shared letters: cru. Private to "cœur": œ. Private to "cru": -.
"cœur" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "cru" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cœur" and "cru" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cœur" or "cru"?
Remembering cœur vs cru
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “cœur”; for an adjective, it's “cru”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cœur” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable