Which to use
“vécu” is an adjective and “vice” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,794
- “vécu” frequency rank
- #1,614
- “vice” frequency rank
- 3408
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vécu | vice |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui a eu lieu dans la vie de quelqu’un. | Défaut, imperfection grave qui rend une chose plus ou moins impropre à sa destination. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vécu and vice apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vécu is \ve.ky\ while vice is \vis\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3408, 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\. vice is at rank #1,614, tagged as anoun, pronounced \vis\.
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 3408, this pair ranks #434,106 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vécu vs vice
Shared letters: cv. Private to "vécu": ué. Private to "vice": ei.
"vécu" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "vice" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- vice ← ivce · vcie · vicce · viec · vvice
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vécu" and "vice" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "vécu" or "vice"?
Remembering vécu vs vice
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 “vice”.
- 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