épouvantable vs épouvantables

Which to use

“épouvantable” and “épouvantables” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#16,282
“épouvantable” frequency rank: #39,120
“épouvantables” frequency rank: 55402
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	épouvantable	épouvantables
Definition	Qui cause de l’épouvante.	Pluriel de épouvantable.

Same sound, different letters: épouvantable vs épouvantables

Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 12 letters. épouvantable runs 12 letters (VCVVCVCCVCCV) against épouvantables's 13 (VCVVCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

12 ch

épouvantable

13 ch

épouvantables

Same sound, different spelling - épouvantable / épouvantables

This is the hard kind. épouvantable and épouvantables are pronounced identically (\e.pu.vɑ̃.tabl\) and both work as anadjective. 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) - “épouvantable” sits inside “épouvantables”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55402, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

épouvantable is recorded at frequency rank #16,282, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.pu.vɑ̃.tabl\. épouvantables is at rank #39,120, tagged as anadj, pronounced \e.pu.vɑ̃.tabl\.

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 55402, this pair ranks #127,676 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of épouvantable vs épouvantables

Shared letters: abelnoptuvé. Private to "épouvantable": -. Private to "épouvantables": s.

"épouvantable" · 12 letters · shape VCVVCVCCVCCV · "épouvantables" · 13 letters · shape VCVVCVCCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "épouvantable" and "épouvantables" be used interchangeably?

No. They are pronounced the same (\e.pu.vɑ̃.tabl\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.

Frequency check: "épouvantable" vs "épouvantables" - which ranks higher?

"épouvantable" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,282 in our French list, against #39,120 for "épouvantables". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

"épouvantable" and "épouvantables" share a sound, keep the gloss open, then jump to the headword or a nearby trap.

Full dictionary entry for "épouvantable" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
Full dictionary entry for "épouvantables" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
This pair ranks #127,676 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
"épouvantable" and "épouvantables" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épouvantable vs épouvantail". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #127,676 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.