Which to use
“êtes” is a verb and “ETI” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #362
- “êtes” frequency rank
- #38,788
- “ETI” frequency rank
- 39150
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | êtes | ETI |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Deuxième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de être. | Entreprise qui a entre 250 et 4999 salariés et respecte certains critères en matière de bilan et de chiffre d'affaires. |
Where the eye mixes êtes and ETI
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. êtes runs 4 letters (VCVC) against ETI's 3 (VCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses êtes with ETI
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: êtes is \ɛt\ while ETI is \ø.te.i\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39150, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
êtes is recorded at frequency rank #362, classified as averb, pronounced \ɛt\. ETI is at rank #38,788, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ø.te.i\.
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 39150, this pair ranks #250,119 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of êtes vs ETI
Shared letters: et. Private to "êtes": sê. Private to "ETI": i.
"êtes" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "ETI" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "êtes" for "ETI" ever safe?
Which is more common, "êtes" or "ETI"?
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 "êtes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ETI" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #250,119 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "êtes" and "ETI" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "émit vs ETI". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #250,119 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.