illégauxvsinégauxWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“illégaux” and “inégaux” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#14,055
“illégaux” frequency rank
#42,410
“inégaux” frequency rank
56465
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature illégaux inégaux
Definition Masculin pluriel de illégal. Masculin pluriel de inégal.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set illégaux and inégaux apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
illégaux
7 ch
inégaux

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. illégaux (\i.le.ɡo\) and inégaux (\i.ne.ɡo\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56465, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

illégaux is recorded at frequency rank #14,055, classified as anadj, pronounced \i.le.ɡo\. inégaux is at rank #42,410, tagged as anadj, pronounced \i.ne.ɡo\.

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 56465, this pair ranks #120,950 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of illégaux vs inégaux

Shared letters: agiuxé. Private to "illégaux": l. Private to "inégaux": n.

"illégaux" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVVC  ·  "inégaux" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVVC

Frequency comparison

illégaux#14,055
inégaux#42,410

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "illégaux" and "inégaux" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\i.le.ɡo\ versus \i.ne.ɡo\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "illégaux" or "inégaux"?
"illégaux" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,055 in our French list, against #42,410 for "inégaux". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering illégaux vs inégaux

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 “illégaux” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list