vécuvsverWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vécu is a adjective, ver is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“vécu” is an adjective and “ver” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,794
“vécu” frequency rank
#10,804
“ver” frequency rank
12598
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vécu ver
Definition Qui a eu lieu dans la vie de quelqu’un. Animal invertébré long et rampant au corps cylindrique, sans membres articulés et qui correspond à plusieurs animaux comme les vers de terre, certaines larves d’insectes, etc.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vécu and ver apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
vécu
3 ch
ver

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vécu is \ve.ky\ while ver is \vɛʁ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12598, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vécu is recorded at frequency rank #1,794, classified as anadj, pronounced \ve.ky\. ver is at rank #10,804, tagged as anoun, pronounced \vɛʁ\.

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 12598, this pair ranks #404,570 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vécu vs ver

Shared letters: v. Private to "vécu": cué. Private to "ver": er.

"vécu" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "ver" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

vécu#1,794
ver#10,804

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vécu" and "ver" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vécu" is an adjective and "ver" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vécu" or "ver"?
"vécu" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,794 in our French list, against #10,804 for "ver". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vécu vs ver

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “vécu”; for a noun, it's “ver”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vécu” 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