Which to use
“épreuve” is a noun and “éprouver” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,158
- “épreuve” frequency rank
- #16,043
- “éprouver” frequency rank
- 18201
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épreuve | éprouver |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Action d’éprouver quelque chose ou quelqu'un, essai, expérience, test qu’on fait de quelque chose à surmonter. | Tester un objet pour se rendre compte s’il a toutes les qualités voulues. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set épreuve and éprouver apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: épreuve is \e.pʁœv\ while éprouver is \e.pʁu.ve\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18201, 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\. éprouver is at rank #16,043, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.pʁu.ve\.
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 18201, this pair ranks #379,499 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of épreuve vs éprouver
Shared letters: epruvé. Private to "épreuve": -. Private to "éprouver": o.
"épreuve" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV · "éprouver" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "épreuve" and "éprouver" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "épreuve" or "éprouver"?
Remembering épreuve vs éprouver
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “épreuve”; for a verb, it's “éprouver”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “épreuve” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable