Which to use
“épaules” and “épouses” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,206
- “épaules” frequency rank
- #14,832
- “épouses” frequency rank
- 20038
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épaules | épouses |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de épaule. | Pluriel de épouse. |
Where the eye mixes épaules and épouses
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. épaules and épouses 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 épaules with épouses
A purely visual mix-up. épaules (\e.pol\) and épouses (\e.puz\) 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 20038, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épaules is recorded at frequency rank #5,206, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.pol\. épouses is at rank #14,832, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.puz\.
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 20038, this pair ranks #370,240 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of épaules vs épouses
Shared letters: epsué. Private to "épaules": al. Private to "épouses": o.
"épaules" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC · "épouses" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "épaules" and "épouses" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "épaules" or "épouses"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "épaules" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épouses" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #370,240 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épaules" and "épouses" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épopées vs épouses". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #370,240 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.