Which to use
“lut” and “lutin” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,358
- “lut” frequency rank
- #29,029
- “lutin” frequency rank
- 69387
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lut | lutin |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Se dit de pâtes ou d'enduits qu'on applique sur les bouchons des vases pour en assurer la fermeture hermétique, autour des cornues, des tubes de verre pour les soustraire à l'action directe du feu, ou qu'on utilise pour obturer des trous, pour faire des joints etc. | Petit démon ou esprit follet qui vient la nuit tourmenter les vivants. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lut and lutin apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. lut (\lyt\) and lutin (\ly.tɛ̃\) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “lut” sits inside “lutin”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69387, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lut is recorded at frequency rank #40,358, classified as anoun, pronounced \lyt\. lutin is at rank #29,029, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ly.tɛ̃\.
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 69387, this pair ranks #55,318 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lut vs lutin
Shared letters: ltu. Private to "lut": -. Private to "lutin": in.
"lut" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "lutin" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lutin ← llutin · ltuin · luitn · lutinn · lutni · luttin · ultin
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lut" and "lutin" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lut" or "lutin"?
Remembering lut vs lutin
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 “lut” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable