Which to use
“étangs” and “états” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,723
- “étangs” frequency rank
- #563
- “états” frequency rank
- 20286
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | étangs | états |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de étang. | Pluriel de état. |
Where the eye mixes étangs and états
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. étangs runs 6 letters (VCVCCC) against états's 5 (VCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: étangs vs états
A purely visual mix-up. étangs (\e.tɑ̃\) and états (\e.ta\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20286, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
étangs is recorded at frequency rank #19,723, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.tɑ̃\. états is at rank #563, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.ta\.
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 20286, this pair ranks #369,045 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of étangs vs états
Shared letters: asté. Private to "étangs": gn. Private to "états": -.
"étangs" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCC · "états" · 5 letters · shape VCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "étangs" and "états" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "étangs" vs "états" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "étangs" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "états" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #369,045 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "étangs" and "états" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "étals vs étangs". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #369,045 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.