Which to use
“mordicus” is an adverb and “mordus” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,803
- “mordicus” frequency rank
- #45,183
- “mordus” frequency rank
- 94986
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mordicus | mordus |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Sans en démordre ; avec ténacité ; avec obstination. | Masculin pluriel du participe passé de mordre. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mordicus and mordus apart are highlighted. They share 6 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: mordicus is \mɔʁ.di.kys\ while mordus is \mɔʁ.dy\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 94986, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mordicus is recorded at frequency rank #49,803, classified as anadv, pronounced \mɔʁ.di.kys\. mordus is at rank #45,183, tagged as averb, pronounced \mɔʁ.dy\.
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 94986, this pair ranks #1,292 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mordicus vs mordus
Shared letters: dmorsu. Private to "mordicus": ci. Private to "mordus": -.
"mordicus" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "mordus" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mordicus" and "mordus" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mordicus" or "mordus"?
Remembering mordicus vs mordus
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “mordicus”; for a verb, it's “mordus”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mordicus” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable