Which to use
“prévenu” and “prévu” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,794
- “prévenu” frequency rank
- #1,401
- “prévu” frequency rank
- 6195
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | prévenu | prévu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui a par avance des sentiments favorables ou défavorables. | Qui a été prévu, à quoi l’on s’attend. |
Where the eye mixes prévenu and prévu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. prévenu runs 7 letters (CCVCVCV) against prévu's 5 (CCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: prévenu vs prévu
A purely visual mix-up. prévenu (\pʁɛv.ny\) and prévu (\pʁe.vy\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6195, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
prévenu is recorded at frequency rank #4,794, classified as anadj, pronounced \pʁɛv.ny\. prévu is at rank #1,401, tagged as anadj, pronounced \pʁe.vy\.
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 6195, this pair ranks #426,902 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of prévenu vs prévu
Shared letters: pruvé. Private to "prévenu": en. Private to "prévu": -.
"prévenu" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV · "prévu" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "prévenu" for "prévu" ever safe?
Which is more common, "prévenu" or "prévu"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "prévenu" and "prévu" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "prévenu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "prévu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #426,902 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "prévenu" and "prévu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "prep vs prévu". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #426,902 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.