Which to use
“échoue” and “échouer” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,092
- “échoue” frequency rank
- #12,699
- “échouer” frequency rank
- 25791
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | échoue | échouer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de échouer. | Donner sur le sable, sur un écueil et y stationner plus ou moins longtemps, en parlant d’une embarcation voire d’un cétacé ou de poissons. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set échoue and échouer apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. échoue (\e.ʃu\) and échouer (\e.ʃwe\) 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 extra letter(s) - “échoue” sits inside “échouer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25791, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
échoue is recorded at frequency rank #13,092, classified as averb, pronounced \e.ʃu\. échouer is at rank #12,699, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.ʃwe\.
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 25791, this pair ranks #338,829 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of échoue vs échouer
Shared letters: cehoué. Private to "échoue": -. Private to "échouer": r.
"échoue" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVV · "échouer" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "échoue" and "échouer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "échoue" or "échouer"?
Remembering échoue vs échouer
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 “échoue” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable