Which to use
“étaient” and “étalent” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #238
- “étaient” frequency rank
- #36,219
- “étalent” frequency rank
- 36457
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | étaient | étalent |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du pluriel de l’imparfait de être. | Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de étaler. |
Where the eye mixes étaient and étalent
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. étaient (VCVVVCC) and étalent (VCVCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: étaient vs étalent
A purely visual mix-up. étaient (\e.tɛ\) and étalent (\e.tal\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - i in “étaient” becomes l in “étalent”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36457, 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\. étalent is at rank #36,219, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.tal\.
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 36457, this pair ranks #269,466 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of étaient vs étalent
Shared letters: aenté. Private to "étaient": i. Private to "étalent": l.
"étaient" · 7 letters · shape VCVVVCC · "étalent" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "étaient" for "étalent" ever safe?
Frequency check: "étaient" vs "étalent" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "étaient" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "étalent" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #269,466 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "étaient" and "étalent" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "étalées vs étalent". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #269,466 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.