Which to use
“subit” and “subtil” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,613
- “subit” frequency rank
- #12,069
- “subtil” frequency rank
- 17682
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | subit | subtil |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui est soudain ; qui arrive tout à coup. | Qui est délié, fin, menu. |
Where the eye mixes subit and subtil
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between subit and subtil
A purely visual mix-up. subit (\sy.bi\) and subtil (\syp.til\) 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 17682, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
subit is recorded at frequency rank #5,613, classified as anadj, pronounced \sy.bi\. subtil is at rank #12,069, tagged as anadj, pronounced \syp.til\.
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 17682, this pair ranks #381,991 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of subit vs subtil
Shared letters: bistu. Private to "subit": -. Private to "subtil": l.
"subit" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "subtil" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "subit" and "subtil" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "subit" vs "subtil" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "subit" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "subtil" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #381,991 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "subit" and "subtil" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "salit vs subit". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #381,991 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.