Which to use
“entretenir” is a verb and “entretenu” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,341
- “entretenir” frequency rank
- #10,866
- “entretenu” frequency rank
- 16207
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entretenir | entretenu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tenir en bon état. | Tenu ensemble, joint. |
Where the eye mixes entretenir and entretenu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. entretenir runs 10 letters (VCCCVCVCVC) against entretenu's 9 (VCCCVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: entretenir vs entretenu
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: entretenir is \ɑ̃.tʁət.niʁ\ while entretenu is \ɑ̃.tʁə.tə.ny\. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16207, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
entretenir is recorded at frequency rank #5,341, classified as averb, pronounced \ɑ̃.tʁət.niʁ\. entretenu is at rank #10,866, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ɑ̃.tʁə.tə.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 16207, this pair ranks #388,880 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of entretenir vs entretenu
Shared letters: enrt. Private to "entretenir": i. Private to "entretenu": u.
"entretenir" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCVCVC · "entretenu" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- entretenir ← enntretenir · enrtetenir · entertenir · entreetnir · entreteinr · entretenirr · entretennir · entretenri
- entretenu ← enntretenu · enrtetenu · entertenu · entreetnu · entretennu · entreteun · entretneu · entrettenu
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "entretenir" and "entretenu" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "entretenir" or "entretenu"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "entretenir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "entretenu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #388,880 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "entretenir" and "entretenu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entrèrent vs entretenu". 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 #388,880 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.