Which to use
“épater” and “étaler” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,616
- “épater” frequency rank
- #14,584
- “étaler” frequency rank
- 53200
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épater | étaler |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Priver de l’usage d’une patte. | Exposer en vente, dans une boutique ou dans quelque autre lieu, des marchandises, des denrées, etc. |
Where the eye mixes épater and étaler
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. épater and étaler follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses épater with étaler
A purely visual mix-up. épater (\e.pa.te\) and étaler (\e.ta.le\) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53200, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épater is recorded at frequency rank #38,616, classified as averb, pronounced \e.pa.te\. étaler is at rank #14,584, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.ta.le\.
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 53200, this pair ranks #142,402 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épater vs étaler
Shared letters: aerté. Private to "épater": p. Private to "étaler": l.
"épater" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "étaler" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "épater" for "étaler" ever safe?
Frequency check: "épater" vs "étaler" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "épater" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "étaler" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #142,402 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épater" and "étaler" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épater vs épier". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #142,402 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.