Which to use
“épauler” is a verb and “épaules” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #33,088
- “épauler” frequency rank
- #5,206
- “épaules” frequency rank
- 38294
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épauler | épaules |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Blesser à l’épaule. | Pluriel de épaule. |
Where the eye mixes épauler and épaules
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. épauler and épaules follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses épauler with épaules
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: épauler is \e.po.le\ while épaules is \e.pol\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - r in “épauler” becomes s in “épaules”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38294, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épauler is recorded at frequency rank #33,088, classified as averb, pronounced \e.po.le\. 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 38294, this pair ranks #256,273 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épauler vs épaules
Shared letters: aelpué. Private to "épauler": r. Private to "épaules": s.
"épauler" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC · "épaules" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "épauler" and "épaules" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "épauler" vs "épaules" - 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 "épauler" 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 #256,273 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épauler" and "épaules" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épauler vs exaucer". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #256,273 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.