Which to use
“très” is an adverb and “trois” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #78
- “très” frequency rank
- #151
- “trois” frequency rank
- 229
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | très | trois |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Beaucoup, au plus haut point (devant un adjectif ou un adverbe). | Adjectif numéral cardinal correspondant à deux plus un. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set très and trois apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
très and trois form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 229, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
très is recorded at frequency rank #78, classified as anadv, pronounced \tʁɛ\. trois is at rank #151, tagged as anadj, pronounced \tʁwɑ\.
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 229, this pair ranks #439,937 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "très" and "trois" be used interchangeably?
Remembering très vs trois
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “très”; for an adjective, it's “trois”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “très” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable