espèresvsespérezWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#39,788
“espères” frequency rank
#32,810
“espérez” frequency rank
72598
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature espères espérez
Definition Deuxième personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de espérer. Deuxième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de espérer.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set espères and espérez apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
espères
7 ch
espérez

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. espères (\ɛs.pɛʁ\) and espérez (\ɛs.pe.ʁe\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72598, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

espères is recorded at frequency rank #39,788, classified as averb, pronounced \ɛs.pɛʁ\. espérez is at rank #32,810, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɛs.pe.ʁe\.

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 72598, this pair ranks #43,447 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of espères vs espérez

Shared letters: eprs. Private to "espères": è. Private to "espérez": .

"espères" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "espérez" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

espères#39,788
espérez#32,810

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "espères" and "espérez" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ɛs.pɛʁ\ versus \ɛs.pe.ʁe\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "espères" or "espérez"?
"espérez" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,810 in our French list, against #39,788 for "espères". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering espères vs espérez

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 “espères” 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