Which to use
“hibou” and “hiboux” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,887
- “hibou” frequency rank
- #41,823
- “hiboux” frequency rank
- 64710
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hibou | hiboux |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nom ambigu désignant de façon générale tout rapace nocturne de l'ordre des strigiformes, caractérisé par de grands yeux frontaux entourés par un cercle de plumes, et qui porte notamment des aigrettes (faisceaux de plumes) sur la tête, caractéristique le distinguant principalement des chouettes, qui est également un substantif ambigu désignant plusieurs genres de rapaces nocturnes peu apparentés les uns aux autres. | Pluriel de hibou. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hibou and hiboux apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
hibou and hiboux form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “hibou” sits inside “hiboux” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64710, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hibou is recorded at frequency rank #22,887, classified as anoun, pronounced ^((h aspiré))\i.bu\. hiboux is at rank #41,823, tagged as anoun, pronounced ^((h aspiré))\i.bu\.
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 64710, this pair ranks #75,716 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hibou" and "hiboux" be used interchangeably?
Remembering hibou vs hiboux
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 “hibou” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable