Which to use
“empêcha” and “empêcher” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,520
- “empêcha” frequency rank
- #1,591
- “empêcher” frequency rank
- 36111
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empêcha | empêcher |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du singulier du passé simple de empêcher. | Entraver quelqu’un dans la réalisation de quelque chose. |
Where the eye mixes empêcha and empêcher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. empêcha runs 7 letters (VCCVCCV) against empêcher's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: empêcha vs empêcher
A purely visual mix-up. empêcha (\ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃa\) and empêcher (\ɑ̃.pe.ʃe\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36111, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
empêcha is recorded at frequency rank #34,520, classified as averb, pronounced \ɑ̃.pɛ.ʃa\. empêcher is at rank #1,591, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɑ̃.pe.ʃe\.
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 36111, this pair ranks #271,926 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of empêcha vs empêcher
Shared letters: cehmpê. Private to "empêcha": a. Private to "empêcher": r.
"empêcha" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "empêcher" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "empêcha" and "empêcher" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "empêcha" or "empêcher"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "empêcha" and "empêcher" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "empêcha" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "empêcher" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #271,926 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empêcha" and "empêcher" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empêcha vs empoche". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #271,926 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.