Which to use
“neutre” is an adjective and “nuire” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,371
- “neutre” frequency rank
- #7,468
- “nuire” frequency rank
- 12839
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | neutre | nuire |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui ne prend pas parti, qui ne doit pas prendre parti dans un conflit, dans un débat, etc. | Causer du tort ; porter dommage à quelque chose ou à quelqu’un. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set neutre and nuire 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: neutre is \nøtʁ\ while nuire is \nɥiʁ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12839, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
neutre is recorded at frequency rank #5,371, classified as anadj, pronounced \nøtʁ\. nuire is at rank #7,468, tagged as averb, pronounced \nɥiʁ\.
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 12839, this pair ranks #403,548 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of neutre vs nuire
Shared letters: enru. Private to "neutre": t. Private to "nuire": i.
"neutre" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV · "nuire" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "neutre" and "nuire" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "neutre" or "nuire"?
Remembering neutre vs nuire
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “neutre”; for a verb, it's “nuire”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “neutre” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable