Which to use
“fosse” is a noun and “foute” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,964
- “fosse” frequency rank
- #24,598
- “foute” frequency rank
- 32562
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fosse | foute |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cavité dans le sol, le plus souvent artificielle. | Première personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de foutre. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fosse and foute 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: fosse is \fos\ while foute is \fut\. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32562, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fosse is recorded at frequency rank #7,964, classified as anoun, pronounced \fos\. foute is at rank #24,598, tagged as averb, pronounced \fut\.
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 32562, this pair ranks #296,452 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fosse vs foute
Shared letters: efo. Private to "fosse": s. Private to "foute": tu.
"fosse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "foute" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fosse" and "foute" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fosse" or "foute"?
Remembering fosse vs foute
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “fosse”; for a verb, it's “foute”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fosse” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable