Which to use
“neiges” is a noun and “neuves” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,882
- “neiges” frequency rank
- #13,219
- “neuves” frequency rank
- 23101
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | neiges | neuves |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de neige. | Féminin pluriel de neuf. |
Where the eye mixes neiges and neuves
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses neiges with neuves
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: neiges is \nɛʒ\ while neuves is \nœv\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23101, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
neiges is recorded at frequency rank #9,882, classified as anoun, pronounced \nɛʒ\. 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 23101, this pair ranks #354,343 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of neiges vs neuves
Shared letters: ens. Private to "neiges": gi. Private to "neuves": uv.
"neiges" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "neuves" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "neiges" and "neuves" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "neiges" or "neuves" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "neiges" 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 #354,343 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "neiges" and "neuves" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "neuves vs noués". 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 #354,343 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.