Which to use
“étaient” is a verb and “étais” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #238
- “étaient” frequency rank
- #358
- “étais” frequency rank
- 596
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | étaient | étais |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du pluriel de l’imparfait de être. | Pluriel de étai. |
Same sound, different letters: étaient vs étais
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 4 letters.
Homophone desk: étaient vs étais
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: étaient and étais carry the same recorded pronunciation, \e.tɛ\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is averb, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 596, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
étaient is recorded at frequency rank #238, classified as averb, pronounced \e.tɛ\. étais is at rank #358, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.tɛ\.
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 596, this pair ranks #439,409 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of étaient vs étais
Shared letters: aité. Private to "étaient": en. Private to "étais": s.
"étaient" · 7 letters · shape VCVVVCC · "étais" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "étaient" for "étais" ever safe?
Frequency check: "étaient" vs "étais" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "étaient" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "étais" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #439,409 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "étaient" and "étais" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "étai vs étais". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #439,409 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.