Which to use
“éclatent” and “écoutent” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,463
- “éclatent” frequency rank
- #11,887
- “écoutent” frequency rank
- 34350
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | éclatent | écoutent |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de éclater. | Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de écouter. |
Where the eye mixes éclatent and écoutent
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. éclatent (VCCVCVCC) and écoutent (VCVVCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: éclatent vs écoutent
A purely visual mix-up. éclatent (\e.klat\) and écoutent (\e.kut\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34350, 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\. écoutent is at rank #11,887, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.kut\.
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 34350, this pair ranks #284,451 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of éclatent vs écoutent
Shared letters: centé. Private to "éclatent": al. Private to "écoutent": ou.
"éclatent" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCC · "écoutent" · 8 letters · shape VCVVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "éclatent" and "écoutent" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "éclatent" or "écoutent" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "éclatent" and "écoutent" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "éclatent" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "écoutent" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #284,451 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "éclatent" and "écoutent" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "écoutent vs épousent". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #284,451 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.