Which to use
“éclats” and “états” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,154
- “éclats” frequency rank
- #563
- “états” frequency rank
- 11717
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | éclats | états |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de éclat. | Pluriel de état. |
Where the eye mixes éclats and états
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. éclats runs 6 letters (VCCVCC) against états's 5 (VCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses éclats with états
A purely visual mix-up. éclats (\e.kla\) and états (\e.ta\) 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 11717, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
éclats is recorded at frequency rank #11,154, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.kla\. états is at rank #563, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.ta\.
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 11717, this pair ranks #408,110 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of éclats vs états
Shared letters: asté. Private to "éclats": cl. Private to "états": -.
"éclats" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "états" · 5 letters · shape VCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "éclats" for "états" ever safe?
Which is more common, "éclats" or "états"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "éclats" and "états" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "éclats" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "états" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #408,110 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "éclats" and "états" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "étai vs états". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #408,110 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.