embrasevsembrasseWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: embrase is a verb, embrasse is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“embrase” is a verb and “embrasse” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#44,444
“embrase” frequency rank
#5,976
“embrasse” frequency rank
50420
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature embrase embrasse
Definition Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de embraser. Bande d’étoffe ou cordelière qui sert à retenir un rideau.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set embrase and embrasse apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
embrase
8 ch
embrasse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: embrase is \ɑ̃.bʁaz\ while embrasse is \ɑ̃.bʁas\. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50420, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

embrase is recorded at frequency rank #44,444, classified as averb, pronounced \ɑ̃.bʁaz\. embrasse is at rank #5,976, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɑ̃.bʁas\.

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 50420, this pair ranks #162,799 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of embrase vs embrasse

Shared letters: abemrs. Private to "embrase": -. Private to "embrasse": -.

"embrase" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV  ·  "embrasse" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • embraseebmrase · embarse · embbrase · embraes · embrrase · embrsae · emmbrase · emrbase
  • embrasseebmrasse · embarsse · embbrasse · embrases · embrrasse · embrsase · emmbrasse · emrbasse

Frequency comparison

embrase#44,444
embrasse#5,976

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "embrase" and "embrasse" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "embrase" is a verb and "embrasse" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "embrase" or "embrasse"?
"embrasse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,976 in our French list, against #44,444 for "embrase". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering embrase vs embrasse

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “embrase”; for a noun, it's “embrasse”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “embrase” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list