Which to use
“fâcheux” and “fameux” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,568
- “fâcheux” frequency rank
- #3,002
- “fameux” frequency rank
- 31570
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fâcheux | fameux |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui donne du déplaisir ou de la peine. | Dont la réputation est très grande. |
Where the eye mixes fâcheux and fameux
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. fâcheux runs 7 letters (CVCCVVC) against fameux's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: fâcheux vs fameux
A purely visual mix-up. fâcheux (\fɑ.ʃø\) and fameux (\fa.mø\) 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 31570, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fâcheux is recorded at frequency rank #28,568, classified as anadj, pronounced \fɑ.ʃø\. fameux is at rank #3,002, tagged as anadj, pronounced \fa.mø\.
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 31570, this pair ranks #302,968 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fâcheux vs fameux
Shared letters: efux. Private to "fâcheux": châ. Private to "fameux": am.
"fâcheux" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC · "fameux" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- fameux ← afmeux · faemux · fameuxx · famexu · fammeux · famuex · ffameux · fmaeux
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fâcheux" for "fameux" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "fâcheux" or "fameux" show up more?
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 "fâcheux" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fameux" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #302,968 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fâcheux" and "fameux" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fâchent vs fâcheux". 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 #302,968 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.