Which to use
“épouse” is a noun and “épousent” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,208
- “épouse” frequency rank
- #45,968
- “épousent” frequency rank
- 48176
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épouse | épousent |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Femme, dans le mariage. | Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de épouser. |
Same sound, different letters: épouse vs épousent
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 6 letters. épouse runs 6 letters (VCVVCV) against épousent's 8 (VCVVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Ear matches; page differs - épouse and épousent
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: épouse and épousent carry the same recorded pronunciation, \e.puz\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “épouse” sits inside “épousent”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48176, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épouse is recorded at frequency rank #2,208, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.puz\. épousent is at rank #45,968, tagged as averb, 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 48176, this pair ranks #181,020 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épouse vs épousent
Shared letters: eopsué. Private to "épouse": -. Private to "épousent": nt.
"épouse" · 6 letters · shape VCVVCV · "épousent" · 8 letters · shape VCVVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "épouse" and "épousent" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "épouse" vs "épousent" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
"épouse" and "épousent" share a sound, keep the gloss open, then jump to the headword or a nearby trap.
- Full dictionary entry for "épouse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épousent" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #181,020 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épouse" and "épousent" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épousent vs excusent". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #181,020 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.