Which to use
“épaule” and “épaules” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,542
- “épaule” frequency rank
- #5,206
- “épaules” frequency rank
- 9748
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épaule | épaules |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partie du corps qui attache au cou l’articulation du bras chez l’être humain et du membre antérieur chez les quadrupèdes ; articulation qui relie l'arrière-bras au tronc. | Pluriel de épaule. |
Same sound, different letters: épaule vs épaules
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 6 letters. épaule runs 6 letters (VCVVCV) against épaules's 7 (VCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Homophone desk: épaule vs épaules
This is the hard kind. épaule and épaules are pronounced identically (\e.pol\) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “épaule” sits inside “épaules”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9748, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épaule is recorded at frequency rank #4,542, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.pol\. épaules is at rank #5,206, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.pol\.
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 9748, this pair ranks #415,563 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of épaule vs épaules
Shared letters: aelpué. Private to "épaule": -. Private to "épaules": s.
"épaule" · 6 letters · shape VCVVCV · "épaules" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "épaule" and "épaules" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "épaule" vs "épaules" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
"épaule" and "épaules" share a sound, keep the gloss open, then jump to the headword or a nearby trap.
- Full dictionary entry for "épaule" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épaules" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #415,563 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épaule" and "épaules" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épaules vs érables". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #415,563 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.