Which to use
“pour” is a preposition and “pût” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19
- “pour” frequency rank
- #36,553
- “pût” frequency rank
- 36572
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pour | pût |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Au motif de ; dans le but de ; afin de ; à destination de. | Troisième personne du singulier de l’imparfait du subjonctif du verbe pouvoir. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pour and pût apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
pour and pût 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 1 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 36572, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pour is recorded at frequency rank #19, classified as aprep, pronounced \puʁ\. 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 36572, this pair ranks #268,670 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pour" and "pût" be used interchangeably?
Remembering pour vs pût
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “pour”; for a verb, it's “pût”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pour” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable