Which to use
“sub” and “sur” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,413
- “sub” frequency rank
- #26
- “sur” frequency rank
- 10439
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sub | sur |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Préposition latine, qui s’emploie dans des locutions telles que : | Indique une position plus élevée. |
Where the eye mixes sub and sur
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between sub and sur
A purely visual mix-up. sub (\syb\) and sur (\syʁ\) 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 a single letter - b in “sub” becomes r in “sur”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10439, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sub is recorded at frequency rank #10,413, classified as aprep, pronounced \syb\. sur is at rank #26, tagged as aprep, pronounced \syʁ\.
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 10439, this pair ranks #412,997 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sub vs sur
Shared letters: su. Private to "sub": b. Private to "sur": r.
"sub" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "sur" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sub" for "sur" ever safe?
Which is more common, "sub" or "sur"?
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 "sub" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sur" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #412,997 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sub" and "sur" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sub vs suu". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #412,997 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.