Which to use
“r” is a character and “rus” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #637
- “r” frequency rank
- #37,537
- “rus” frequency rank
- 38174
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | r | rus |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dix-huitième lettre et quatorzième consonne de l’alphabet (minuscule). | Pluriel de ru. |
Where the eye mixes r and rus
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between r and rus
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: r is \ɛʁ\ while rus is \ʁy\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “r” sits inside “rus”, and the parts of speech differ too (character vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38174, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
r is recorded at frequency rank #637, classified as acharacter, pronounced \ɛʁ\. rus is at rank #37,537, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʁy\.
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 38174, this pair ranks #257,148 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of r vs rus
Shared letters: r. Private to "r": -. Private to "rus": su.
"r" · 1 letters · shape C · "rus" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "r" for "rus" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "r" or "rus" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "r" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "rus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #257,148 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "r" and "rus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Rhys vs rus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #257,148 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.