Which to use
“étangs” is a noun and “étend” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,723
- “étangs” frequency rank
- #5,002
- “étend” frequency rank
- 24725
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | étangs | étend |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de étang. | Troisième personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de étendre. |
Same sound, different letters: étangs vs étend
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 3 letters. étangs runs 6 letters (VCVCCC) against étend's 5 (VCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Ear matches; page differs - étangs and étend
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: étangs and étend carry the same recorded pronunciation, \e.tɑ̃\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24725, 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\. étend is at rank #5,002, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.tɑ̃\.
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 24725, this pair ranks #344,969 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of étangs vs étend
Shared letters: nté. Private to "étangs": ags. Private to "étend": de.
"étangs" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCC · "étend" · 5 letters · shape VCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "étangs" and "étend" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "étangs" or "étend"?
After this comparison
"étangs" and "étend" share a sound, keep the gloss open, then jump to the headword or a nearby trap.
- Full dictionary entry for "étangs" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "étend" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #344,969 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "étangs" and "étend" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "étals vs étangs". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #344,969 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.