Which to use
“épargner” is a verb and “épargnes” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,620
- “épargner” frequency rank
- #43,744
- “épargnes” frequency rank
- 54364
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épargner | épargnes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ménager quelque chose, ne l’employer qu’avec réserve. | Pluriel de épargne. |
Where the eye mixes épargner and épargnes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. épargner and épargnes follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: épargner vs épargnes
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: épargner is \e.paʁ.ɲe\ while épargnes is \e.paʁɲ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - r in “épargner” becomes s in “épargnes”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54364, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épargner is recorded at frequency rank #10,620, classified as averb, pronounced \e.paʁ.ɲe\. épargnes is at rank #43,744, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.paʁɲ\.
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 54364, this pair ranks #134,553 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épargner vs épargnes
Shared letters: aegnpré. Private to "épargner": -. Private to "épargnes": s.
"épargner" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCCVC · "épargnes" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "épargner" for "épargnes" ever safe?
Frequency check: "épargner" vs "épargnes" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "épargner" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épargnes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #134,553 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épargner" and "épargnes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épargnes vs épargnez". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #134,553 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.