Which to use
“ves” and “vis” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,676
- “ves” frequency rank
- #993
- “vis” frequency rank
- 43669
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ves | vis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Veuves. | Pièce mécanique formée d’un corps qui comporte un filet de forme hélicoïdale et une tête où une empreinte permet d’appliquer un couple ; il en résulte un double mouvement de rotation et de translation. En mécanique, elles sont souvent employées avec des écrous pour former des boulons. |
Where the eye mixes ves and vis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: ves vs vis
A purely visual mix-up. ves (\vœv\) and vis (\vis\) 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 a single letter - e in “ves” becomes i in “vis”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43669, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ves is recorded at frequency rank #42,676, classified as anoun, pronounced \vœv\. vis is at rank #993, 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 43669, this pair ranks #216,332 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ves vs vis
Shared letters: sv. Private to "ves": e. Private to "vis": i.
"ves" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "vis" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ves" and "vis" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ves" or "vis"?
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 "ves" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #216,332 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ves" and "vis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ves vs viv". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #216,332 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.