Which to use
“échouer” and “échoués” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,699
- “échouer” frequency rank
- #47,113
- “échoués” frequency rank
- 59812
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | échouer | échoués |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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. | Participe passé masculin pluriel de échouer. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set échouer and échoués apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
This is the hard kind. échouer and échoués are pronounced identically (\e.ʃwe\) and both work as averb. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59812, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
échouer is recorded at frequency rank #12,699, classified as averb, pronounced \e.ʃwe\. échoués is at rank #47,113, 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 59812, this pair ranks #101,056 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of échouer vs échoués
Shared letters: choué. Private to "échouer": er. Private to "échoués": s.
"échouer" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVVC · "échoués" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "échouer" and "échoués" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "échouer" or "échoués"?
Remembering échouer vs échoués
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 “échouer” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable