Which to use
“fau” is a noun and “faux” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,799
- “fau” frequency rank
- #920
- “faux” frequency rank
- 39719
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fau | faux |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ou Hêtre, plus particulièrement le hêtre tortillard (Fagus sylvatica). | Qui n’est pas conforme, ou qui ne se conforme pas à la réalité. Quand il s’agit des idées et des sentiments, et de leur expression, il signifie que ces idées, ces sentiments ou leur expression sont contraires à la réalité par erreur ou par imposture. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fau and faux apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: fau and faux carry the same recorded pronunciation, \fo\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “fau” sits inside “faux”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39719, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fau is recorded at frequency rank #38,799, classified as anoun, pronounced \fo\. faux is at rank #920, tagged as anadj, pronounced \fo\.
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 39719, this pair ranks #245,896 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fau vs faux
Shared letters: afu. Private to "fau": -. Private to "faux": x.
"fau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "faux" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- faux ← afux · fauxx · faxu · ffaux · fuax
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fau" and "faux" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fau" or "faux"?
Remembering fau vs faux
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “fau”; for an adjective, it's “faux”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fau” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable