Which to use
“équilibre” is a noun and “équilibrés” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,458
- “équilibre” frequency rank
- #31,311
- “équilibrés” frequency rank
- 33769
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | équilibre | équilibrés |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | État des corps maintenus en repos sous l’influence de plusieurs forces qui se contrebalancent exactement. | Masculin pluriel de équilibré. |
Where the eye mixes équilibre and équilibrés
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. équilibre runs 9 letters (VCVVCVCCV) against équilibrés's 10 (VCVVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses équilibre with équilibrés
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: équilibre is \e.ki.libʁ\ while équilibrés is \e.ki.li.bʁe\. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33769, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
équilibre is recorded at frequency rank #2,458, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.ki.libʁ\. équilibrés is at rank #31,311, tagged as anadj, pronounced \e.ki.li.bʁe\.
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 33769, this pair ranks #288,389 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of équilibre vs équilibrés
Shared letters: bilqrué. Private to "équilibre": e. Private to "équilibrés": s.
"équilibre" · 9 letters · shape VCVVCVCCV · "équilibrés" · 10 letters · shape VCVVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "équilibre" and "équilibrés" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "équilibre" vs "équilibrés" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "équilibre" and "équilibrés" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "équilibre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "équilibrés" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #288,389 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "équilibre" and "équilibrés" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "équilibrées vs équilibrés". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #288,389 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.