Which to use
“fourbe” is an adjective and “foutre” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #26,010
- “fourbe” frequency rank
- #1,867
- “foutre” frequency rank
- 27877
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fourbe | foutre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui emploie, pour tromper, une adresse perfide. | Baiser ; posséder sexuellement. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fourbe and foutre apart are highlighted. They share 5 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: fourbe is \fuʁb\ while foutre is \futʁ\. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27877, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fourbe is recorded at frequency rank #26,010, classified as anadj, pronounced \fuʁb\. foutre is at rank #1,867, tagged as averb, pronounced \futʁ\.
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 27877, this pair ranks #326,216 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fourbe vs foutre
Shared letters: eforu. Private to "fourbe": b. Private to "foutre": t.
"fourbe" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV · "foutre" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "fourbe" and "foutre" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "fourbe" or "foutre"?
Remembering fourbe vs foutre
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “fourbe”; for a verb, it's “foutre”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fourbe” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable