Which to use
“fichu” is an adjective and “filou” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,014
- “fichu” frequency rank
- #43,438
- “filou” frequency rank
- 64452
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fichu | filou |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Fait, arrangé. | (Louisiane) Voleur agissant par ruse, tricheur au jeu, personne qui abuse de la confiance. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fichu and filou apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fichu is \fi.ʃy\ while filou is \fi.lu\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64452, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fichu is recorded at frequency rank #21,014, classified as anadj, pronounced \fi.ʃy\. filou is at rank #43,438, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fi.lu\.
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 64452, this pair ranks #77,037 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of fichu vs filou
Shared letters: fiu. Private to "fichu": ch. Private to "filou": lo.
"fichu" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "filou" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fichu" and "filou" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fichu" or "filou"?
Remembering fichu vs filou
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “fichu”; for a noun, it's “filou”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fichu” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable