Which to use
“précieuse” is a noun and “précieuses” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,603
- “précieuse” frequency rank
- #11,279
- “précieuses” frequency rank
- 19882
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | précieuse | précieuses |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Femme affectée dans son air, dans ses manières et surtout dans son langage. À l’origine, ce mot n’était pas pris au sens péjoratif. | Féminin pluriel de précieux. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set précieuse and précieuses apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: précieuse and précieuses carry the same recorded pronunciation, \pʁe.sjøz\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “précieuse” sits inside “précieuses”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19882, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
précieuse is recorded at frequency rank #8,603, classified as anoun, pronounced \pʁe.sjøz\. précieuses is at rank #11,279, tagged as anadj, pronounced \pʁe.sjøz\.
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 19882, this pair ranks #371,057 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of précieuse vs précieuses
Shared letters: ceiprsué. Private to "précieuse": -. Private to "précieuses": -.
"précieuse" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVVVCV · "précieuses" · 10 letters · shape CCVCVVVCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "précieuse" and "précieuses" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "précieuse" or "précieuses"?
Remembering précieuse vs précieuses
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “précieuse”; for an adjective, it's “précieuses”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “précieuse” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable