Which to use
“ris” and “ru” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,396
- “ris” frequency rank
- #16,467
- “ru” frequency rank
- 26863
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ris | ru |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Action de rire. | Petit ruisseau. |
Where the eye mixes ris and ru
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between ris and ru
A purely visual mix-up. ris (\ʁi\) and ru (\ʁy\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26863, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ris is recorded at frequency rank #10,396, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʁi\. ru is at rank #16,467, 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 26863, this pair ranks #332,375 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ris vs ru
Shared letters: r. Private to "ris": is. Private to "ru": u.
"ris" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "ru" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ris" for "ru" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ris" vs "ru" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ris" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ru" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #332,375 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ris" and "ru" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rog vs ru". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #332,375 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.