Which to use
“pic” is a noun and “pur” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,593
- “pic” frequency rank
- #3,034
- “pur” frequency rank
- 8627
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pic | pur |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Oiseau grimpeur se nourrissant de larves qu’il va chercher dans l’écorce en la frappant par des coups de bec répétés pour tester la résonance du bois (martèlement) ; communiquant également avec ses congénères par ce moyen (tambourinage) et creusant son nid dans un tronc d’arbre. | Qui est sans mélange, en parlant d’un produit, d’une émotion. |
Where the eye mixes pic and pur
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: pic vs pur
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pic is \pik\ while pur is \pyʁ\. 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 8627, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pic is recorded at frequency rank #5,593, classified as anoun, pronounced \pik\. pur is at rank #3,034, tagged as anadj, pronounced \pyʁ\.
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 8627, this pair ranks #419,380 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pic vs pur
Shared letters: p. Private to "pic": ci. Private to "pur": ru.
"pic" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "pur" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pic" and "pur" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "pic" or "pur" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pic" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pur" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #419,380 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pic" and "pur" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pic vs pio". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #419,380 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.