Which to use
“obéis” and “obs” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,893
- “obéis” frequency rank
- #13,851
- “obs” frequency rank
- 54744
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | obéis | obs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de obéir. | Deuxième personne du singulier de l’impératif présent de obsen. |
Where the eye mixes obéis and obs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between obéis and obs
A purely visual mix-up. obéis (\ɔ.be.i\) and obs (\ɔps\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54744, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
obéis is recorded at frequency rank #40,893, classified as averb, pronounced \ɔ.be.i\. obs is at rank #13,851, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɔps\.
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 54744, this pair ranks #131,985 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of obéis vs obs
Shared letters: bos. Private to "obéis": ié. Private to "obs": -.
"obéis" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC · "obs" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "obéis" and "obs" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "obéis" or "obs" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "obéis" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "obs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #131,985 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "obéis" and "obs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "obéis vs ordis". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #131,985 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.