Which to use
“épouse” and “épouses” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,208
- “épouse” frequency rank
- #14,832
- “épouses” frequency rank
- 17040
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épouse | épouses |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Femme, dans le mariage. | Pluriel de épouse. |
Same sound, different letters: épouse vs épouses
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 6 letters. épouse 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.
Same sound, different spelling - épouse / épouses
This is the hard kind. épouse and épouses are pronounced identically (\e.puz\) and both work as anoun. 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) - “épouse” sits inside “épouses”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17040, 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\. 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 17040, this pair ranks #385,090 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of épouse vs épouses
Shared letters: eopsué. Private to "épouse": -. Private to "épouses": -.
"épouse" · 6 letters · shape VCVVCV · "épouses" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "épouse" and "épouses" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "épouse" vs "épouses" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "épouse" 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 #385,090 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épouse" and "épouses" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épopées vs épouses". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #385,090 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.