éluvseusWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: élu is a adjective, eus is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“élu” is an adjective and “eus” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,549
“élu” frequency rank
#13,591
“eus” frequency rank
15140
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature élu eus
Definition Qui a été élu. Pluriel de eu.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set élu and eus apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
élu
3 ch
eus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: élu is \e.ly\ while eus is \ø\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15140, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

élu is recorded at frequency rank #1,549, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.ly\. eus is at rank #13,591, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ø\.

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 15140, this pair ranks #393,682 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of élu vs eus

Shared letters: u. Private to "élu": . Private to "eus": es.

"élu" · 3 letters · shape VCV  ·  "eus" · 3 letters · shape VVC

Frequency comparison

élu#1,549
eus#13,591

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "élu" and "eus" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "élu" is an adjective and "eus" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "élu" or "eus"?
"élu" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,549 in our French list, against #13,591 for "eus". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering élu vs eus

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “élu”; for a noun, it's “eus”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “élu” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list