Jeune vs. jaune
The French words jeune and jaune are often confused by learners because of their similar pronunciation. However, they have completely different meanings and spellings.
Jeune
A1The word jeune is an adjective that means young. It can also be used as a noun to mean a young person.
Mon petit frère est très jeune.
(My little brother is very young.)
C'est une jeune entreprise avec beaucoup de potentiel.
(It is a young company with a lot of potential.)
Les jeunes d'aujourd'hui sont très connectés.
(The young people of today are very connected.)
Nous avons acheté une jeune plante pour le jardin.
(We bought a young plant for the garden.)
Elle a l'air plus jeune que son âge.
(She looks younger than her age.)
Jaune
A1The word jaune is an adjective that means yellow. It can also be used as a noun to refer to the color yellow.
Le soleil est d'un beau jaune vif ce matin.
(The sun is a beautiful bright yellow this morning.)
J'ai acheté une voiture jaune.
(I bought a yellow car.)
Les feuilles des arbres deviennent jaunes en automne.
(The leaves on the trees turn yellow in autumn.)
Le maillot jaune est porté par le leader du Tour de France.
(The yellow jersey is worn by the leader of the Tour de France.)
Elle a peint les murs de sa chambre en jaune.
(She painted the walls of her bedroom yellow.)
Summary
In summary, the key difference is simple: jeune refers to age (young), while jaune refers to a color (yellow). The similarity in their sound is the main source of confusion, but their meanings are entirely distinct.