Which to use
“foies” and “foins” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,901
- “foies” frequency rank
- #48,534
- “foins” frequency rank
- 96435
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | foies | foins |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de foie. | Pluriel de foin. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set foies and foins apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. foies (\fwa\) and foins (\fwɛ̃\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - e in “foies” becomes n in “foins”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 96435, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
foies is recorded at frequency rank #47,901, classified as anoun, pronounced \fwa\. foins is at rank #48,534, tagged as anoun, pronounced \fwɛ̃\.
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 96435, this pair ranks #673 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of foies vs foins
Shared letters: fios. Private to "foies": e. Private to "foins": n.
"foies" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC · "foins" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "foies" and "foins" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "foies" or "foins"?
Remembering foies vs foins
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 “foies” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable