Which to use
“égout” and “égouts” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,915
- “égout” frequency rank
- #16,786
- “égouts” frequency rank
- 35701
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | égout | égouts |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Chute et écoulement des eaux qui viennent de quelque endroit. | Pluriel de égout. |
Same sound, different letters: égout vs égouts
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 5 letters. égout runs 5 letters (VCVVC) against égouts's 6 (VCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Homophone desk: égout vs égouts
This is the hard kind. égout and égouts are pronounced identically (\e.ɡu\) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “égout” sits inside “égouts”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35701, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
égout is recorded at frequency rank #18,915, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.ɡu\. 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 35701, this pair ranks #274,853 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of égout vs égouts
Shared letters: gotué. Private to "égout": -. Private to "égouts": s.
"égout" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC · "égouts" · 6 letters · shape VCVVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "égout" for "égouts" ever safe?
Frequency check: "égout" vs "égouts" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
You've separated the homophone pair "égout" / "égouts". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "égout" 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 #274,853 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "égout" and "égouts" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "égout vs Egypt". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #274,853 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.