Which to use
“été” and “eye” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #65
- “été” frequency rank
- #15,623
- “eye” frequency rank
- 15688
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | été | eye |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | La plus chaude des quatre saisons de l’année. Dans l’hémisphère nord, l’été astronomique s’étend du 7 mai au 7 août, le solstice d’été représentant le milieu de l’été. L’été météorologique, qui comprend les mois les plus chauds de l’année, comprend les mois de juin, juillet et août. L’été calendaire français, enfin, s’étend du 21 juin (solstice d’été) au 22 septembre (équinoxe d’automne). Dans l’hémisphère sud, ce découpage correspond à la saison d’hiver. | Œil mais aussi œil d'une pomme de terre, d'un cyclone. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set été and eye apart are highlighted. They share no common letter run, the confusion here is by sound, not by sight.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. été (\e.te\) and eye (\ˈaɪ\) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15688, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
été is recorded at frequency rank #65, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.te\. eye is at rank #15,623, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈaɪ\.
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 15688, this pair ranks #391,262 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of été vs eye
Shared letters: none. Private to "été": té. Private to "eye": ey.
"été" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "eye" · 3 letters · shape VVV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "été" and "eye" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "été" or "eye"?
Remembering été vs eye
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “été” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable