Which to use
“feu” and “fil” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #568
- “feu” frequency rank
- #1,263
- “fil” frequency rank
- 1831
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | feu | fil |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Phénomène calorifique et lumineux produit par la combustion d'une matière inflammable ; un des quatre éléments des Anciens. | Petite partie longue et déliée qu’on détache de l’écorce du chanvre, du lin, etc. |
Where the eye mixes feu and fil
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses feu with fil
A purely visual mix-up. feu (\fø\) and fil (\fil\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1831, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
feu is recorded at frequency rank #568, classified as anoun, pronounced \fø\. fil is at rank #1,263, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fil\.
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 1831, this pair ranks #437,303 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of feu vs fil
Shared letters: f. Private to "feu": eu. Private to "fil": il.
"feu" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "fil" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "feu" and "fil" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "feu" or "fil" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "feu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fil" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #437,303 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "feu" and "fil" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fil vs filez". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #437,303 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.