Which to use
“étaler” and “étayer” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,584
- “étaler” frequency rank
- #23,741
- “étayer” frequency rank
- 38325
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | étaler | étayer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Exposer en vente, dans une boutique ou dans quelque autre lieu, des marchandises, des denrées, etc. | Appuyer, soutenir une structure avec un ou des étais. |
Where the eye mixes étaler and étayer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. étaler (VCVCVC) and étayer (VCVVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: étaler vs étayer
A purely visual mix-up. étaler (\e.ta.le\) and étayer (\e.tɛ.je\) 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 - l in “étaler” becomes y in “étayer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38325, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
étaler is recorded at frequency rank #14,584, classified as averb, pronounced \e.ta.le\. étayer is at rank #23,741, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.tɛ.je\.
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 38325, this pair ranks #256,049 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of étaler vs étayer
Shared letters: aerté. Private to "étaler": l. Private to "étayer": y.
"étaler" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "étayer" · 6 letters · shape VCVVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "étaler" and "étayer" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "étaler" vs "étayer" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "étaler" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "étayer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #256,049 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "étaler" and "étayer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "étayée vs étayer". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #256,049 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.