Which to use
“neu” and “neue” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,394
- “neu” frequency rank
- #44,599
- “neue” frequency rank
- 84993
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | neu | neue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nouveau. | Accusatif pluriel (à tous les genres) de la déclinaison forte de neu. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set neu and neue 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. neu (\nɔɪ̯\) and neue (\ˈnɔɪ̯ə\) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “neu” sits inside “neue”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 84993, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
neu is recorded at frequency rank #40,394, classified as anadj, pronounced \nɔɪ̯\. neue is at rank #44,599, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ˈnɔɪ̯ə\.
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 84993, this pair ranks #12,059 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of neu vs neue
Shared letters: enu. Private to "neu": -. Private to "neue": -.
"neu" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "neue" · 4 letters · shape CVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- neue ← enue · neeu · nneue
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "neu" and "neue" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "neu" or "neue"?
Remembering neu vs neue
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 “neu” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable