Which to use
“fève” and “free” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,822
- “fève” frequency rank
- #3,537
- “free” frequency rank
- 41359
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fève | free |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nom vernaculaire de Vicia faba, plante herbacées annuelle de la famille des Fabacées (Fabaceae, au port érigé, pouvant atteindre 2 mètre de haut et que l’on cultive pour sa graine comestible. | Teuf, fête gratuite. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fève and free apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. fève (\fɛv\) and free (\fʁi\) 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 41359, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fève is recorded at frequency rank #37,822, classified as anoun, pronounced \fɛv\. free is at rank #3,537, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fʁi\.
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 41359, this pair ranks #233,663 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fève vs free
Shared letters: ef. Private to "fève": vè. Private to "free": r.
"fève" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "free" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- free ← fere · ffree · fre · frree · rfee
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fève" and "free" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fève" or "free"?
Remembering fève vs free
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fève” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable