épousentvsépousesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: épousent is a verb, épouses is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“épousent” is a verb and “épouses” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#45,968
“épousent” frequency rank
#14,832
“épouses” frequency rank
60800
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature épousent épouses
Definition Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de épouser. Pluriel de épouse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set épousent and épouses apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
épousent
7 ch
épouses

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Say them out loud and nothing separates them: épousent and épouses carry the same recorded pronunciation, \e.puz\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is averb, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60800, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

épousent is recorded at frequency rank #45,968, classified as averb, 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 60800, this pair ranks #95,699 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of épousent vs épouses

Shared letters: eopsué. Private to "épousent": nt. Private to "épouses": -.

"épousent" · 8 letters · shape VCVVCVCC  ·  "épouses" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC

Frequency comparison

épousent#45,968
épouses#14,832

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "épousent" and "épouses" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "épousent" is a verb and "épouses" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "épousent" or "épouses"?
"épouses" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,832 in our French list, against #45,968 for "épousent". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering épousent vs épouses

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “épousent”; for a noun, it's “épouses”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “épousent” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list