Which to use
“éclate” is a verb and “écrasé” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,390
- “éclate” frequency rank
- #9,255
- “écrasé” frequency rank
- 16645
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | éclate | écrasé |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de éclater. | Qui a subi un écrasement. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set éclate and écrasé apart are highlighted. They share 3 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 écrasé is \e.kʁa.ze\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16645, 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\. écrasé is at rank #9,255, tagged as anadj, pronounced \e.kʁa.ze\.
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 16645, this pair ranks #386,887 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of éclate vs écrasé
Shared letters: acé. Private to "éclate": elt. Private to "écrasé": rs.
"éclate" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "écrasé" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "éclate" and "écrasé" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "éclate" or "écrasé"?
Remembering éclate vs écrasé
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “éclate”; for an adjective, it's “écrasé”.
- 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