Which to use
“doux” is an adjective and “duc” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,316
- “doux” frequency rank
- #2,118
- “duc” frequency rank
- 4434
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | doux | duc |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Agréable au toucher. | Titre qui était le plus élevé parmi l’ancienne noblesse de France et de quelques autres États. |
Where the eye mixes doux and duc
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: doux is \du\ while duc is \dyk\. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4434, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
doux is recorded at frequency rank #2,316, classified as anadj, pronounced \du\. duc is at rank #2,118, tagged as anoun, pronounced \dyk\.
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 4434, this pair ranks #431,628 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of doux vs duc
Shared letters: du. Private to "doux": ox. Private to "duc": c.
"doux" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "duc" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- doux ← ddoux · douxx · doxu · duox · odux
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "doux" and "duc" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "doux" or "duc"?
What to do next
You've compared "doux" and "duc". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "doux" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "duc" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #431,628 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "doux" and "duc" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "DCI vs duc". 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
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.