emparésvsespèresWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“emparés” and “espères” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#30,585
“emparés” frequency rank
#39,788
“espères” frequency rank
70373
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature emparés espères
Definition Participe passé masculin pluriel de emparer. Deuxième personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de espérer.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set emparés and espères apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
emparés
7 ch
espères

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. emparés (\ɑ̃.pa.ʁe\) and espères (\ɛs.pɛʁ\) 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 70373, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

emparés is recorded at frequency rank #30,585, classified as averb, pronounced \ɑ̃.pa.ʁe\. espères is at rank #39,788, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɛs.pɛʁ\.

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 70373, this pair ranks #51,551 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of emparés vs espères

Shared letters: eprs. Private to "emparés": amé. Private to "espères": è.

"emparés" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "espères" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

emparés#30,585
espères#39,788

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "emparés" and "espères" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ɑ̃.pa.ʁe\ versus \ɛs.pɛʁ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "emparés" or "espères"?
"emparés" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,585 in our French list, against #39,788 for "espères". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering emparés vs espères

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “emparés” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list