Which to use
“œuf” and “œufs” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,512
- “œuf” frequency rank
- #5,003
- “œufs” frequency rank
- 12515
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | œuf | œufs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Structure reproductrice produite par les animaux ovipares (oiseaux, reptiles, amphibiens, insectes, etc.) ou par d’autres animaux, formée dans les ovaires ou les oviductes, et comprenant un zygote ou un embryon en développement entouré de réserves nutritives (vitellus) et d’enveloppes protectrices. Elle permet le développement de l’embryon à l’extérieur du corps de la mère ou dans l’environnement. | Pluriel de œuf. |
Where the eye mixes œuf and œufs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. œuf runs 3 letters (VVC) against œufs's 4 (VVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses œuf with œufs
A purely visual mix-up. œuf (\œf\) and œufs (\ø\) 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 extra letter(s) - “œuf” sits inside “œufs”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12515, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
œuf is recorded at frequency rank #7,512, classified as anoun, pronounced \œf\. œufs is at rank #5,003, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ø\.
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 12515, this pair ranks #404,953 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of œuf vs œufs
Shared letters: fuœ. Private to "œuf": -. Private to "œufs": s.
"œuf" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "œufs" · 4 letters · shape VVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "œuf" and "œufs" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "œuf" or "œufs"?
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 "œuf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "œufs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #404,953 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "œuf" and "œufs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ubu vs œuf". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #404,953 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.