Which to use
“état” is a noun and “êtes” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #200
- “état” frequency rank
- #362
- “êtes” frequency rank
- 562
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | état | êtes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Disposition dans laquelle se trouve une personne, une chose, une affaire. | Deuxième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de être. |
Where the eye mixes état and êtes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses état with êtes
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: état is \e.ta\ while êtes is \ɛt\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 562, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
état is recorded at frequency rank #200, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.ta\. êtes is at rank #362, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɛt\.
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 562, this pair ranks #439,460 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of état vs êtes
Shared letters: t. Private to "état": aé. Private to "êtes": esê.
"état" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "êtes" · 4 letters · shape VCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "état" and "êtes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "état" or "êtes"?
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 "état" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "êtes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #439,460 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "état" and "êtes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "émit vs état". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #439,460 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.