reçusvsréelsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“reçus” and “réels” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,368
“reçus” frequency rank
#5,918
“réels” frequency rank
13286
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature reçus réels
Definition Masculin pluriel de reçu. Masculin pluriel de réel.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set reçus and réels apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
reçus
5 ch
réels

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. reçus (\ʁə.sy\) and réels (\ʁe.ɛl\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13286, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

reçus is recorded at frequency rank #7,368, classified as anadj, pronounced \ʁə.sy\. réels is at rank #5,918, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ʁe.ɛl\.

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 13286, this pair ranks #401,645 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of reçus vs réels

Shared letters: ers. Private to "reçus": . Private to "réels": .

"reçus" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "réels" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC

Frequency comparison

reçus#7,368
réels#5,918

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "reçus" and "réels" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʁə.sy\ versus \ʁe.ɛl\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "reçus" or "réels"?
"réels" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,918 in our French list, against #7,368 for "reçus". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering reçus vs réels

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “reçus” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list