Which to use
“vieilli” is an adjective and “vielle” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,536
- “vieilli” frequency rank
- #17,035
- “vielle” frequency rank
- 32571
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vieilli | vielle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui a pris un coup de vieux. | Instrument de musique à cordes, dont on joue par le moyen de touches et d’une roue qu’on tourne avec une manivelle, qui permet de faire sonner les cordes mélodiques et bourdon, et, par accélérations rapides, de faire vibrer la corde trompette et le chien pour donner un son caractéristique grésillant. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vieilli and vielle apart are highlighted. They share 5 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: vieilli is \vje.ji\ while vielle is \vjɛl\. 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 32571, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vieilli is recorded at frequency rank #15,536, classified as anadj, pronounced \vje.ji\. vielle is at rank #17,035, tagged as anoun, pronounced \vjɛl\.
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 32571, this pair ranks #296,395 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vieilli vs vielle
Shared letters: eilv. Private to "vieilli": -. Private to "vielle": -.
"vieilli" · 7 letters · shape CVVVCCV · "vielle" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vieilli" and "vielle" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "vieilli" or "vielle"?
Remembering vieilli vs vielle
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “vieilli”; for a noun, it's “vielle”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vieilli” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable