Which to use
“épousa” is a verb and “épouses” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,600
- “épousa” frequency rank
- #14,832
- “épouses” frequency rank
- 32432
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épousa | épouses |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du singulier du passé simple de épouser. | Pluriel de épouse. |
Where the eye mixes épousa and épouses
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. épousa runs 6 letters (VCVVCV) against épouses's 7 (VCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between épousa and épouses
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: épousa is \e.pu.za\ while épouses is \e.puz\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32432, 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\. 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 32432, this pair ranks #297,333 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épousa vs épouses
Shared letters: opsué. Private to "épousa": a. Private to "épouses": e.
"épousa" · 6 letters · shape VCVVCV · "épouses" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "épousa" and "épouses" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "épousa" vs "épouses" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "épousa" and "épouses" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "épousa" 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 #297,333 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épousa" and "épouses" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épopées vs épouses". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #297,333 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.