Which to use
“étaler” and “étirer” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,584
- “étaler” frequency rank
- #28,030
- “étirer” frequency rank
- 42614
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | étaler | étirer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Exposer en vente, dans une boutique ou dans quelque autre lieu, des marchandises, des denrées, etc. | Étendre, allonger. |
Where the eye mixes étaler and étirer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. étaler and étirer follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: étaler vs étirer
A purely visual mix-up. étaler (\e.ta.le\) and étirer (\e.ti.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 42614, 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\. étirer is at rank #28,030, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.ti.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 42614, this pair ranks #224,273 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of étaler vs étirer
Shared letters: erté. Private to "étaler": al. Private to "étirer": i.
"étaler" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "étirer" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "étaler" and "étirer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "étaler" or "étirer"?
Useful next steps
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 "étirer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #224,273 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "étaler" and "étirer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épier vs étirer". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #224,273 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.