Which to use
“précieuse” is a noun and “précieux” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,603
- “précieuse” frequency rank
- #3,869
- “précieux” frequency rank
- 12472
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | précieuse | précieux |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Qui est de grand prix. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set précieuse and précieux apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: précieuse is \pʁe.sjøz\ while précieux is \pʁe.sjø\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12472, 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\. précieux is at rank #3,869, tagged as anadj, pronounced \pʁe.sjø\.
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 12472, this pair ranks #405,129 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of précieuse vs précieux
Shared letters: ceiprué. Private to "précieuse": s. Private to "précieux": x.
"précieuse" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVVVCV · "précieux" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVVVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "précieuse" and "précieux" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "précieuse" or "précieux"?
Remembering précieuse vs précieux
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 “précieux”.
- 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