Which to use
“écoutes” and “égouts” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,772
- “écoutes” frequency rank
- #16,786
- “égouts” frequency rank
- 23558
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | écoutes | égouts |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de écoute. | Pluriel de égout. |
Where the eye mixes écoutes and égouts
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. écoutes runs 7 letters (VCVVCVC) against égouts's 6 (VCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses écoutes with égouts
A purely visual mix-up. écoutes (\e.kut\) and égouts (\e.ɡu\) 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 23558, 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\. égouts is at rank #16,786, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.ɡu\.
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 23558, this pair ranks #351,794 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of écoutes vs égouts
Shared letters: ostué. Private to "écoutes": ce. Private to "égouts": g.
"écoutes" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC · "égouts" · 6 letters · shape VCVVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "écoutes" and "égouts" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "écoutes" vs "égouts" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "écoutes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "égouts" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #351,794 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "écoutes" and "égouts" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "échoués vs écoutes". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #351,794 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.