Which to use
“épreuve” and “épreuves” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,158
- “épreuve” frequency rank
- #3,972
- “épreuves” frequency rank
- 6130
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épreuve | épreuves |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Action d’éprouver quelque chose ou quelqu'un, essai, expérience, test qu’on fait de quelque chose à surmonter. | Pluriel de épreuve. |
Same sound, different letters: épreuve vs épreuves
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 7 letters. épreuve runs 7 letters (VCCVVCV) against épreuves's 8 (VCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Same sound, different spelling - épreuve / épreuves
This is the hard kind. épreuve and épreuves are pronounced identically (\e.pʁœv\) 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) - “épreuve” sits inside “épreuves”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6130, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épreuve is recorded at frequency rank #2,158, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.pʁœv\. épreuves is at rank #3,972, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.pʁœv\.
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 6130, this pair ranks #427,096 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of épreuve vs épreuves
Shared letters: epruvé. Private to "épreuve": -. Private to "épreuves": s.
"épreuve" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV · "épreuves" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "épreuve" and "épreuves" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "épreuve" or "épreuves" show up more?
What to do next
You've separated the homophone pair "épreuve" / "épreuves". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "épreuve" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épreuves" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #427,096 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épreuve" and "épreuves" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épreuves vs éprouvées". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #427,096 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.