Which to use
“égarés” and “épaves” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,874
- “égarés” frequency rank
- #28,417
- “épaves” frequency rank
- 59291
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | égarés | épaves |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Masculin pluriel de égaré. | Pluriel de l’adjectif épave. |
Where the eye mixes égarés and épaves
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. égarés and épaves follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: égarés vs épaves
A purely visual mix-up. égarés (\e.ɡa.ʁe\) and épaves (\e.pav\) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59291, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
égarés is recorded at frequency rank #30,874, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.ɡa.ʁe\. épaves is at rank #28,417, tagged as anadj, pronounced \e.pav\.
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 59291, this pair ranks #103,986 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of égarés vs épaves
Shared letters: asé. Private to "égarés": gr. Private to "épaves": epv.
"égarés" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "épaves" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "égarés" for "épaves" ever safe?
Frequency check: "égarés" vs "épaves" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "égarés" and "épaves" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "égarés" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épaves" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #103,986 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "égarés" and "épaves" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "égarés vs engages". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #103,986 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.