Which to use
“résidu” and “résidus” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,227
- “résidu” frequency rank
- #13,255
- “résidus” frequency rank
- 40482
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | résidu | résidus |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ce qui reste. | Pluriel de résidu. |
Same sound, different letters: résidu vs résidus
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 6 letters. résidu runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against résidus's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Same sound, different spelling - résidu / résidus
This is the hard kind. résidu and résidus are pronounced identically (\ʁe.zi.dy\) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “résidu” sits inside “résidus”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40482, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
résidu is recorded at frequency rank #27,227, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʁe.zi.dy\. résidus is at rank #13,255, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʁe.zi.dy\.
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 40482, this pair ranks #240,156 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of résidu vs résidus
Shared letters: dirsué. Private to "résidu": -. Private to "résidus": -.
"résidu" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "résidus" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "résidu" and "résidus" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "résidu" or "résidus"?
What to do next
You've separated the homophone pair "résidu" / "résidus". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "résidu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "résidus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #240,156 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "résidu" and "résidus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "résidu vs résiduel". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #240,156 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.