Which to use
“plu” and “pu” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,380
- “plu” frequency rank
- #307
- “pu” frequency rank
- 5687
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | plu | pu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Participe passé masculin singulier de pleuvoir. | Participe passé masculin singulier du verbe pouvoir. |
Where the eye mixes plu and pu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses plu with pu
A purely visual mix-up. plu (\ply\) and pu (\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 5687, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
plu is recorded at frequency rank #5,380, classified as averb, pronounced \ply\. pu is at rank #307, 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 5687, this pair ranks #428,328 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of plu vs pu
Shared letters: pu. Private to "plu": l. Private to "pu": -.
"plu" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "pu" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "plu" for "pu" ever safe?
Which is more common, "plu" or "pu"?
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 "plu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #428,328 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "plu" and "pu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pio vs plu". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #428,328 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.