Which to use
“poilu” is an adjective and “pou” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,651
- “poilu” frequency rank
- #13,869
- “pou” frequency rank
- 36520
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | poilu | pou |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui est velu, couvert de poils. | Très petit insecte parasite sans ailes qui s’attache à plusieurs espèces d’animaux dont l’humain, agent de phtiriase et pouvant transmettre des maladies. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set poilu and pou apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
poilu and pou form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36520, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
poilu is recorded at frequency rank #22,651, classified as anadj, pronounced \pwa.ly\. pou is at rank #13,869, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pu\.
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 36520, this pair ranks #269,025 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "poilu" and "pou" be used interchangeably?
Remembering poilu vs pou
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “poilu”; for a noun, it's “pou”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “poilu” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable