Which to use
“étoiles” is a noun and “étroites” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,159
- “étoiles” frequency rank
- #14,586
- “étroites” frequency rank
- 16745
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | étoiles | étroites |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de étoile. | Féminin pluriel de étroit. |
Where the eye mixes étoiles and étroites
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses étoiles with étroites
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: étoiles is \e.twal\ while étroites is \e.tʁwat\. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16745, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
étoiles is recorded at frequency rank #2,159, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.twal\. étroites is at rank #14,586, tagged as anadj, pronounced \e.tʁwat\.
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 16745, this pair ranks #386,465 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of étoiles vs étroites
Shared letters: eiosté. Private to "étoiles": l. Private to "étroites": r.
"étoiles" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC · "étroites" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "étoiles" and "étroites" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "étoiles" vs "étroites" - which ranks higher?
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 "étoiles" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "étroites" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #386,465 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "étoiles" and "étroites" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "étroites vs étroitesse". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #386,465 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.