Which to use
“échelle” and “échelles” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,940
- “échelle” frequency rank
- #13,942
- “échelles” frequency rank
- 15882
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | échelle | échelles |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dispositif permettant de monter et descendre, généralement composé de deux montants de bois ou de métal munis de barreaux disposés à intervalles réguliers. | Pluriel de échelle. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set échelle and échelles apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
This is the hard kind. échelle and échelles are pronounced identically (\e.ʃɛl\) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “échelle” sits inside “échelles”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15882, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
échelle is recorded at frequency rank #1,940, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.ʃɛl\. échelles is at rank #13,942, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.ʃɛl\.
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 15882, this pair ranks #390,416 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of échelle vs échelles
Shared letters: cehlé. Private to "échelle": -. Private to "échelles": s.
"échelle" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "échelles" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "échelle" and "échelles" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "échelle" or "échelles"?
Remembering échelle vs échelles
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “échelle” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable