corpvscouConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#16,104
“corp” frequency rank
#3,063
“cou” frequency rank
19167
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature corp cou
Definition Un des noms de l’ombre (poisson). Partie du corps qui joint la tête aux épaules.

Where the eye mixes corp and cou

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
corp
3 ch
cou

Visual trap between corp and cou

A purely visual mix-up. corp (\kɔʁp\) and cou (\ku\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19167, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

corp is recorded at frequency rank #16,104, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɔʁp\. cou is at rank #3,063, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ku\.

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 19167, this pair ranks #374,631 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of corp vs cou

Shared letters: co. Private to "corp": pr. Private to "cou": u.

"corp" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "cou" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • corpccorp · copr · corpp · corrp · ocrp

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "corp" and "cou" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\kɔʁp\ versus \ku\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "corp" vs "cou" - which ranks higher?
"cou" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,063 in our French list, against #16,104 for "corp". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "corp" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "cou" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #374,631 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "corp" and "cou" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "corp vs coupa". 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 #374,631 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