codevscuveConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#818
“code” frequency rank
#14,006
“cuve” frequency rank
14824
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature code cuve
Definition Ensemble de lois ou d’ordonnances relatives à une matière spéciale ou réunies par le législateur. Grand récipient de bois, de métal ou de maçonnerie dont on se sert ordinairement pour fouler la vendange ou pour y laisser fermenter le vin nouveau avec la grappe, pour faire de la bière et pour divers autres usages.

Where the eye mixes code and cuve

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. code and cuve follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

4 ch
code
4 ch
cuve

Look-alike desk: code vs cuve

A purely visual mix-up. code (\kɔd\) and cuve (\kyv\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14824, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

code is recorded at frequency rank #818, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɔd\. cuve is at rank #14,006, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kyv\.

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 14824, this pair ranks #395,069 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of code vs cuve

Shared letters: ce. Private to "code": do. Private to "cuve": uv.

"code" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "cuve" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • code ← ccode · cdoe · codde · coed
  • cuve ← ccuve · cuev · cuvve · cvue · ucve

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "code" and "cuve" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\kɔd\ versus \kyv\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "code" vs "cuve" - which ranks higher?
"code" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #818 in our French list, against #14,006 for "cuve". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "code" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "cuve" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #395,069 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "code" and "cuve" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "CCE vs cuve". 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 #395,069 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