Which to use
“fléau” is a noun and “flex” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,502
- “fléau” frequency rank
- #31,032
- “flex” frequency rank
- 41534
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fléau | flex |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Instrument composé de deux bâtons attachés l’un à l’autre à leur bout par un lien flexible, et qui sert à battre le grain pour le séparer de la tige et de l'épi, à la manière d’un fouet rigide. L’un des deux bâtons est le manche de l’outil, l’autre en est la lame. | Qui fait preuve de flexibilité. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fléau and flex apart are highlighted. They share 2 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: fléau is \fle.o\ while flex is \fleks\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41534, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fléau is recorded at frequency rank #10,502, classified as anoun, pronounced \fle.o\. flex is at rank #31,032, tagged as anadj, pronounced \fleks\.
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 41534, this pair ranks #232,392 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fléau vs flex
Shared letters: fl. Private to "fléau": aué. Private to "flex": ex.
"fléau" · 5 letters · shape CCVVV · "flex" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- flex ← felx · fflex · flexx · fllex · flxe · lfex
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fléau" and "flex" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fléau" or "flex"?
Remembering fléau vs flex
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “fléau”; for an adjective, it's “flex”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fléau” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable