Which to use
“clé” is a noun and “cru” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,987
- “clé” frequency rank
- #1,326
- “cru” frequency rank
- 3313
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clé | cru |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Instrument de métal que l’on introduit dans une serrure pour ouvrir ou fermer un accès. Ancienne clé à panneton que l'on place et fait tourner dans la serrure d'une porte, d'un coffre, etc. | Qui n’est pas cuit. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set clé and cru apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter 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: clé is \kle\ while cru is \kʁy\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3313, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clé is recorded at frequency rank #1,987, classified as anoun, pronounced \kle\. 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 3313, this pair ranks #434,331 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of clé vs cru
Shared letters: c. Private to "clé": lé. Private to "cru": ru.
"clé" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "cru" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "clé" and "cru" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "clé" or "cru"?
Remembering clé vs cru
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “clé”; for an adjective, it's “cru”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “clé” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable