Which to use
“langue” is a noun and “lègue” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #629
- “langue” frequency rank
- #32,472
- “lègue” frequency rank
- 33101
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | langue | lègue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Organe musculaire charnu et mobile, situé à l’intérieur de la bouche, et permettant de percevoir le sens du goût et d’articuler certains sons. | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de léguer. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set langue and lègue apart are highlighted. They share 4 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: langue is \lɑ̃ɡ\ while lègue is \lɛɡ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33101, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
langue is recorded at frequency rank #629, classified as anoun, pronounced \lɑ̃ɡ\. lègue is at rank #32,472, tagged as averb, pronounced \lɛɡ\.
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 33101, this pair ranks #292,859 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of langue vs lègue
Shared letters: eglu. Private to "langue": an. Private to "lègue": è.
"langue" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV · "lègue" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- langue ← alngue · lagnue · langeu · langgue · lanngue · lanuge · llangue · lnague
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "langue" and "lègue" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "langue" or "lègue"?
Remembering langue vs lègue
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “langue”; for a verb, it's “lègue”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “langue” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable