Which to use
“étions” and “évitons” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,507
- “étions” frequency rank
- #35,787
- “évitons” frequency rank
- 39294
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | étions | évitons |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du pluriel de l’imparfait de être. | Première personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de éviter. |
Where the eye mixes étions and évitons
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. étions runs 6 letters (VCVVCC) against évitons's 7 (VCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between étions and évitons
A purely visual mix-up. étions (\e.tjɔ̃\) and évitons (\e.vi.tɔ̃\) 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 39294, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
étions is recorded at frequency rank #3,507, classified as averb, pronounced \e.tjɔ̃\. évitons is at rank #35,787, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.vi.tɔ̃\.
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 39294, this pair ranks #249,084 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of étions vs évitons
Shared letters: inosté. Private to "étions": -. Private to "évitons": v.
"étions" · 6 letters · shape VCVVCC · "évitons" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "étions" for "évitons" ever safe?
Frequency check: "étions" vs "évitons" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "étions" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "évitons" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #249,084 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "étions" and "évitons" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "évitées vs évitons". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #249,084 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.