Which to use
“échoue” and “écoule” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,092
- “échoue” frequency rank
- #17,596
- “écoule” frequency rank
- 30688
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | échoue | écoule |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de échouer. | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de écouler. |
Where the eye mixes échoue and écoule
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. échoue (VCCVVV) and écoule (VCVVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between échoue and écoule
A purely visual mix-up. échoue (\e.ʃu\) and écoule (\e.kul\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30688, 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\. écoule is at rank #17,596, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.kul\.
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 30688, this pair ranks #308,607 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of échoue vs écoule
Shared letters: ceoué. Private to "échoue": h. Private to "écoule": l.
"échoue" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVV · "écoule" · 6 letters · shape VCVVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "échoue" for "écoule" ever safe?
Which is more common, "échoue" or "écoule"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "échoue" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "écoule" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #308,607 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "échoue" and "écoule" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "échouée vs écoule". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #308,607 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.