éparsvsétatsConfusable pair

Quick tell: épars is a adjective, états is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“épars” is an adjective and “états” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#36,217
“épars” frequency rank
#563
“états” frequency rank
36780
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature épars états
Definition Répandu de ci, de là. Pluriel de état.

Letter map: épars vs états

Shared letters muted; letters that set épars and états apart highlighted. Shared run: 3.

5 ch
épars
5 ch
états

Role in the sentence - épars and états

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: épars is anadjective and étatsanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36780, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

épars is recorded at frequency rank #36,217, classified as anadj. états is at rank #563, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.ta\.

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 36780, this pair ranks #267,189 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of épars vs états

Shared letters: asé. Private to "épars": pr. Private to "états": t.

"épars" · 5 letters · shape VCVCC  ·  "états" · 5 letters · shape VCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "épars" and "états" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "épars" is an adjective and "états" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "épars" vs "états" - which ranks higher?
"états" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #563 in our French list, against #36,217 for "épars". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

You've compared "épars" and "états". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "épars" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "états" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #267,189 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "épars" and "états" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épars vs épaté". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #267,189 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list