Which to use
“égale” is an adjective and “étaler” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,625
- “égale” frequency rank
- #14,584
- “étaler” frequency rank
- 20209
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | égale | étaler |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin singulier de égal. | Exposer en vente, dans une boutique ou dans quelque autre lieu, des marchandises, des denrées, etc. |
Where the eye mixes égale and étaler
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between égale and étaler
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: égale is \e.ɡal\ while étaler is \e.ta.le\. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20209, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
égale is recorded at frequency rank #5,625, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.ɡal\. étaler is at rank #14,584, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.ta.le\.
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 20209, this pair ranks #369,430 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of égale vs étaler
Shared letters: aelé. Private to "égale": g. Private to "étaler": rt.
"égale" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "étaler" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "égale" for "étaler" ever safe?
Frequency check: "égale" vs "étaler" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "égale" and "étaler" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "égale" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "étaler" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #369,430 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "égale" and "étaler" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "étaler vs étayée". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #369,430 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.