Which to use
“souffre” is a verb and “soufre” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,804
- “souffre” frequency rank
- #16,238
- “soufre” frequency rank
- 20042
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | souffre | soufre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif du verbe souffrir. | Élément chimique de numéro atomique 16 et de symbole S qui fait partie des non-métaux, plus spécifiquement des chalcogènes. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set souffre and soufre apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: souffre and soufre carry the same recorded pronunciation, \sufʁ\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is averb, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20042, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
souffre is recorded at frequency rank #3,804, classified as averb, pronounced \sufʁ\. soufre is at rank #16,238, tagged as anoun, pronounced \sufʁ\.
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 20042, this pair ranks #370,214 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of souffre vs soufre
Shared letters: eforsu. Private to "souffre": -. Private to "soufre": -.
"souffre" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCCV · "soufre" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "souffre" and "soufre" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "souffre" or "soufre"?
Remembering souffre vs soufre
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “souffre”; for a noun, it's “soufre”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “souffre” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable