Which to use
“éclate” is a verb and “éclats” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,390
- “éclate” frequency rank
- #11,154
- “éclats” frequency rank
- 18544
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | éclate | éclats |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de éclater. | Pluriel de éclat. |
Where the eye mixes éclate and éclats
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. éclate (VCCVCV) and éclats (VCCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: éclate vs éclats
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: éclate is \e.klat\ while éclats is \e.kla\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “éclate” becomes s in “éclats”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18544, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
éclate is recorded at frequency rank #7,390, classified as averb, pronounced \e.klat\. éclats is at rank #11,154, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.kla\.
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 18544, this pair ranks #377,781 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of éclate vs éclats
Shared letters: aclté. Private to "éclate": e. Private to "éclats": s.
"éclate" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "éclats" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "éclate" and "éclats" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "éclate" vs "éclats" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "éclate" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "éclats" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #377,781 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "éclate" and "éclats" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "éclate vs épaté". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #377,781 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.