Which to use
“continu” is an adjective and “continue” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,330
- “continu” frequency rank
- #867
- “continue” frequency rank
- 6197
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | continu | continue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dont les parties ne sont pas séparées les unes des autres et tiennent les unes aux autres. | Dans une filature appareil destiné à diviser la nappe en fils. |
Same sound, different letters: continu vs continue
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 7 letters.
Same sound, different spelling - continu / continue
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: continu and continue carry the same recorded pronunciation, \kɔ̃.ti.ny\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadjective, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “continu” sits inside “continue”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6197, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
continu is recorded at frequency rank #5,330, classified as anadj, pronounced \kɔ̃.ti.ny\. continue is at rank #867, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kɔ̃.ti.ny\.
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 6197, this pair ranks #426,897 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of continu vs continue
Shared letters: cinotu. Private to "continu": -. Private to "continue": e.
"continu" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "continue" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "continu" and "continue" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "continu" vs "continue" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
You've separated the homophone pair "continu" / "continue". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "continu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "continue" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #426,897 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "continu" and "continue" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "continu vs continuel". 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 #426,897 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.