subivssuffiWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,024
“subi” frequency rank
#12,260
“suffi” frequency rank
16284
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature subi suffi
Definition Participe passé masculin singulier de subir. Participe passé masculin singulier de suffire.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
subi
5 ch
suffi

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. subi (\sy.bi\) and suffi (\sy.fi\) 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 16284, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

subi is recorded at frequency rank #4,024, classified as averb, pronounced \sy.bi\. suffi is at rank #12,260, tagged as averb, pronounced \sy.fi\.

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 16284, this pair ranks #388,530 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of subi vs suffi

Shared letters: isu. Private to "subi": b. Private to "suffi": f.

"subi" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "suffi" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • subisbui · ssubi · subbi · suib · usbi
  • suffisfufi · ssuffi · sufi · sufif · usffi

Frequency comparison

subi#4,024
suffi#12,260

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "subi" and "suffi" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\sy.bi\ versus \sy.fi\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "subi" or "suffi"?
"subi" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,024 in our French list, against #12,260 for "suffi". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering subi vs suffi

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 “subi” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list