Which to use
“étale” is an adjective and “étalée” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,318
- “étale” frequency rank
- #31,313
- “étalée” frequency rank
- 48631
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | étale | étalée |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui est stationnaire. | Participe passé féminin singulier de étaler. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set étale and étalée apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: étale is \e.tal\ while étalée is \e.ta.le\. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48631, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
étale is recorded at frequency rank #17,318, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.tal\. étalée is at rank #31,313, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.ta.le\.
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 48631, this pair ranks #177,315 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of étale vs étalée
Shared letters: aelté. Private to "étale": -. Private to "étalée": -.
"étale" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "étalée" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "étale" and "étalée" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "étale" or "étalée"?
Remembering étale vs étalée
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “étale”; for a verb, it's “étalée”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “étale” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable