Which to use
“echo” is a noun and “échoue” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,256
- “echo” frequency rank
- #13,092
- “échoue” frequency rank
- 27348
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | echo | échoue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (radiotéléphonie) Mot de code radiotéléphonique de l'OACI, OTAN et SIA pour la lettre latine E. | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de échouer. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set echo and échoue apart are highlighted. They share 3 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: echo is \ˈɛko\ while échoue is \e.ʃu\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27348, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
echo is recorded at frequency rank #14,256, classified as anoun, pronounced \ˈɛko\. échoue is at rank #13,092, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.ʃu\.
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 27348, this pair ranks #329,567 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of echo vs échoue
Shared letters: ceho. Private to "echo": -. Private to "échoue": ué.
"echo" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "échoue" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- echo ← ceho · eccho · echho · ecoh · ehco
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "echo" and "échoue" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "echo" or "échoue"?
Remembering echo vs échoue
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “echo”; for a verb, it's “échoue”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “echo” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable