Which to use
“éclate” is a verb and “écluse” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,390
- “éclate” frequency rank
- #29,608
- “écluse” frequency rank
- 36998
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | éclate | écluse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de éclater. | Clôture en forme de bassin, faite de terre, de pierre, de bois ou de toute autre matière dans un port, sur une rivière, sur un canal, etc., ayant une ou plusieurs portes qui se lèvent et se baissent ou qui s’ouvrent et se ferment, pour retenir et pour laisser passer l’eau. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set éclate and écluse apart are highlighted. They share 4 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: éclate is \e.klat\ while écluse is \e.klyz\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36998, 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\. écluse is at rank #29,608, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.klyz\.
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 36998, this pair ranks #265,615 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of éclate vs écluse
Shared letters: celé. Private to "éclate": at. Private to "écluse": su.
"éclate" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "écluse" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "éclate" and "écluse" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "éclate" or "écluse"?
Remembering éclate vs écluse
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “éclate”; for a noun, it's “écluse”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “éclate” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable