Which to use
“moult” is an adverb and “moulu” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,008
- “moult” frequency rank
- #46,903
- “moulu” frequency rank
- 68911
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | moult | moulu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | et ou Beaucoup. Note d’usage : Attaché à un verbe. | Broyé, pulvérisé dans un moulin |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set moult and moulu 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: moult is \mu\ while moulu is \mu.ly\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - t in “moult” becomes u in “moulu”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68911, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
moult is recorded at frequency rank #22,008, classified as anadv, pronounced \mu\. moulu is at rank #46,903, tagged as anadj, pronounced \mu.ly\.
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 68911, this pair ranks #57,226 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of moult vs moulu
Shared letters: lmou. Private to "moult": t. Private to "moulu": -.
"moult" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "moulu" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "moult" and "moulu" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "moult" or "moulu"?
Remembering moult vs moulu
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “moult”; for an adjective, it's “moulu”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “moult” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable