Which to use
“épousa” and “épouser” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,600
- “épousa” frequency rank
- #6,916
- “épouser” frequency rank
- 24516
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épousa | épouser |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du singulier du passé simple de épouser. | Prendre en mariage. |
Where the eye mixes épousa and épouser
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. épousa runs 6 letters (VCVVCV) against épouser's 7 (VCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses épousa with épouser
A purely visual mix-up. épousa (\e.pu.za\) and épouser (\e.pu.ze\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24516, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épousa is recorded at frequency rank #17,600, classified as averb, pronounced \e.pu.za\. épouser is at rank #6,916, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.pu.ze\.
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 24516, this pair ranks #346,179 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of épousa vs épouser
Shared letters: opsué. Private to "épousa": a. Private to "épouser": er.
"épousa" · 6 letters · shape VCVVCV · "épouser" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "épousa" for "épouser" ever safe?
Frequency check: "épousa" vs "épouser" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "épousa" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épouser" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #346,179 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épousa" and "épouser" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épousa vs épousera". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #346,179 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.