Which to use
“nègres” and “neuves” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,195
- “nègres” frequency rank
- #13,219
- “neuves” frequency rank
- 29414
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nègres | neuves |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de nègre. | Féminin pluriel de neuf. |
Where the eye mixes nègres and neuves
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. nègres (CVCCVC) and neuves (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses nègres with neuves
A purely visual mix-up. nègres (\nɛɡʁ\) and neuves (\nœv\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29414, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nègres is recorded at frequency rank #16,195, classified as anadj, pronounced \nɛɡʁ\. neuves is at rank #13,219, tagged as anadj, pronounced \nœv\.
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 29414, this pair ranks #316,827 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nègres vs neuves
Shared letters: ens. Private to "nègres": grè. Private to "neuves": uv.
"nègres" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "neuves" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- neuves ← enuves · neuevs · neuvess · neuvse · neuvves · nevues · nneuves · nueves
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nègres" and "neuves" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "nègres" vs "neuves" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "nègres" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "neuves" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #316,827 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nègres" and "neuves" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nègres vs négros". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #316,827 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.