énervesvsenlèvesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#31,792
“énerves” frequency rank
#26,352
“enlèves” frequency rank
58144
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature énerves enlèves
Definition Deuxième personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de énerver. Deuxième personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de enlever.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
énerves
7 ch
enlèves

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. énerves (\e.nɛʁv\) and enlèves (\ɑ̃.lɛv\) 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 58144, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

énerves is recorded at frequency rank #31,792, classified as averb, pronounced \e.nɛʁv\. enlèves is at rank #26,352, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɑ̃.lɛv\.

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 58144, this pair ranks #110,767 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of énerves vs enlèves

Shared letters: ensv. Private to "énerves": . Private to "enlèves": .

"énerves" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC  ·  "enlèves" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

énerves#31,792
enlèves#26,352

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "énerves" and "enlèves" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\e.nɛʁv\ versus \ɑ̃.lɛv\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "énerves" or "enlèves"?
"enlèves" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,352 in our French list, against #31,792 for "énerves". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering énerves vs enlèves

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 “énerves” 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