Which to use
“peux” and “pût” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #203
- “peux” frequency rank
- #36,553
- “pût” frequency rank
- 36756
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | peux | pût |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de pouvoir. | Troisième personne du singulier de l’imparfait du subjonctif du verbe pouvoir. |
Where the eye mixes peux and pût
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses peux with pût
A purely visual mix-up. peux (\pø\) and pût (\py\) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36756, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
peux is recorded at frequency rank #203, classified as averb, pronounced \pø\. pût is at rank #36,553, tagged as averb, pronounced \py\.
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 36756, this pair ranks #267,343 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of peux vs pût
Shared letters: p. Private to "peux": eux. Private to "pût": tû.
"peux" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "pût" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- peux ← epux · peuxx · pexu · ppeux · puex
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "peux" for "pût" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "peux" or "pût" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "peux" and "pût" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "peux" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pût" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #267,343 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "peux" and "pût" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pio vs pût". 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 #267,343 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.