Which to use
“échecs” and “échos” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,573
- “échecs” frequency rank
- #12,502
- “échos” frequency rank
- 19075
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | échecs | échos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Jeu de stratégie millénaire opposant deux joueurs qui disposent chacun de seize pièces pour paralyser le roi adverse. | Pluriel de écho. |
Where the eye mixes échecs and échos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. échecs runs 6 letters (VCCVCC) against échos's 5 (VCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between échecs and échos
A purely visual mix-up. échecs (\e.ʃɛk\) and échos (\e.ko\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19075, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
échecs is recorded at frequency rank #6,573, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.ʃɛk\. échos is at rank #12,502, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.ko\.
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 19075, this pair ranks #375,154 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of échecs vs échos
Shared letters: chsé. Private to "échecs": e. Private to "échos": o.
"échecs" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "échos" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "échecs" for "échos" ever safe?
Which is more common, "échecs" or "échos"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "échecs" and "échos" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "échecs" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "échos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #375,154 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "échecs" and "échos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "échos vs échoués". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #375,154 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.