éclatentvséclaterWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“éclatent” and “éclater” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#22,463
“éclatent” frequency rank
#7,772
“éclater” frequency rank
30235
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature éclatent éclater
Definition Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de éclater. Exploser; se rompre, se briser en projetant des fragments.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set éclatent and éclater apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
éclatent
7 ch
éclater

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. éclatent (\e.klat\) and éclater (\e.kla.te\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30235, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

éclatent is recorded at frequency rank #22,463, classified as averb, pronounced \e.klat\. éclater is at rank #7,772, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.kla.te\.

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 30235, this pair ranks #311,678 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of éclatent vs éclater

Shared letters: acelté. Private to "éclatent": n. Private to "éclater": r.

"éclatent" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCC  ·  "éclater" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

éclatent#22,463
éclater#7,772

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "éclatent" and "éclater" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\e.klat\ versus \e.kla.te\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "éclatent" or "éclater"?
"éclater" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,772 in our French list, against #22,463 for "éclatent". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering éclatent vs éclater

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 “éclatent” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list