Which to use
“feu” and “fin” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #568
- “feu” frequency rank
- #168
- “fin” frequency rank
- 736
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | feu | fin |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Phénomène calorifique et lumineux produit par la combustion d'une matière inflammable ; un des quatre éléments des Anciens. | Ce qui termine une chose, en marque la limite, en est l'extrémité. |
Where the eye mixes feu and fin
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses feu with fin
A purely visual mix-up. feu (\fø\) and fin (\fɛ̃\) 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 736, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
feu is recorded at frequency rank #568, classified as anoun, pronounced \fø\. fin is at rank #168, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fɛ̃\.
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 736, this pair ranks #439,198 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of feu vs fin
Shared letters: f. Private to "feu": eu. Private to "fin": in.
"feu" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "fin" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "feu" and "fin" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary French text, does "feu" or "fin" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "feu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fin" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #439,198 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "feu" and "fin" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Fee vs feu". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #439,198 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.