Which to use
“état” and “ets” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #200
- “état” frequency rank
- #23,541
- “ets” frequency rank
- 23741
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | état | ets |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Disposition dans laquelle se trouve une personne, une chose, une affaire. | Eau-forte. |
Where the eye mixes état and ets
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between état and ets
A purely visual mix-up. état (\e.ta\) and ets (\ɛts\) 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 23741, 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\. ets is at rank #23,541, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɛts\.
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 23741, this pair ranks #350,730 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of état vs ets
Shared letters: t. Private to "état": aé. Private to "ets": es.
"état" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "ets" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "état" and "ets" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "état" vs "ets" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "état" and "ets" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "état" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ets" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #350,730 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "état" and "ets" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "EPO vs ets". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #350,730 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.