Which to use
“écoutes” is a noun and “écoutons” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,772
- “écoutes” frequency rank
- #31,305
- “écoutons” frequency rank
- 38077
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | écoutes | écoutons |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de écoute. | Première personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de écouter. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set écoutes and écoutons apart are highlighted. They share 6 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: écoutes is \e.kut\ while écoutons is \e.ku.tɔ̃\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38077, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
écoutes is recorded at frequency rank #6,772, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.kut\. écoutons is at rank #31,305, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.ku.tɔ̃\.
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 38077, this pair ranks #257,828 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of écoutes vs écoutons
Shared letters: costué. Private to "écoutes": e. Private to "écoutons": n.
"écoutes" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC · "écoutons" · 8 letters · shape VCVVCVCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "écoutes" and "écoutons" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "écoutes" or "écoutons"?
Remembering écoutes vs écoutons
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “écoutes”; for a verb, it's “écoutons”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “écoutes” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable