érablevsérablesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,499
“érable” frequency rank
#45,396
“érables” frequency rank
58895
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature érable érables
Definition Genre d’arbre qui croît naturellement dans les régions tempérées à feuilles opposées, pétiolées et palmatilobées, généralement simples, dont le fruit est une disamare formée de 2 samares réunies à la base, et dont plusieurs espèces fournissent une liqueur qui peut être convertie en sucre par évaporation. Pluriel de érable.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
érable
7 ch
érables

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

érable and érables form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “érable” sits inside “érables” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58895, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

érable is recorded at frequency rank #13,499, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.ʁabl\. érables is at rank #45,396, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.ʁabl\.

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 58895, this pair ranks #106,268 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Frequency comparison

érable#13,499
érables#45,396

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "érable" and "érables" be used interchangeably?
No, "érable" and "érables" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering érable vs érables

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “érable” 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