Which to use
“épave” and “épaves” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,498
- “épave” frequency rank
- #28,417
- “épaves” frequency rank
- 41915
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épave | épaves |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui est égaré et dont on ne connaît pas le propriétaire. S’utilise surtout pour les animaux d’élevage. | Pluriel de l’adjectif épave. |
Same sound, different letters: épave vs épaves
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 5 letters. épave runs 5 letters (VCVCV) against épaves's 6 (VCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Homophone desk: épave vs épaves
This is the hard kind. épave and épaves are pronounced identically (\e.pav\) and both work as anadjective. 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) - “épave” sits inside “épaves”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41915, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épave is recorded at frequency rank #13,498, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.pav\. épaves is at rank #28,417, tagged as anadj, pronounced \e.pav\.
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 41915, this pair ranks #229,600 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épave vs épaves
Shared letters: aepvé. Private to "épave": -. Private to "épaves": s.
"épave" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "épaves" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "épave" and "épaves" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "épave" vs "épaves" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "épave" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épaves" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #229,600 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épave" and "épaves" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épaté vs épaves". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #229,600 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.