Which to use
“étonne” and “étonner” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,208
- “étonne” frequency rank
- #8,801
- “étonner” frequency rank
- 14009
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | étonne | étonner |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de étonner. | Ébranler à la manière du tonnerre. |
Where the eye mixes étonne and étonner
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. étonne runs 6 letters (VCVCCV) against étonner's 7 (VCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: étonne vs étonner
A purely visual mix-up. étonne (\e.tɔn\) and étonner (\e.tɔ.ne\) 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 extra letter(s) - “étonne” sits inside “étonner”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14009, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
étonne is recorded at frequency rank #5,208, classified as averb, pronounced \e.tɔn\. étonner is at rank #8,801, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.tɔ.ne\.
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 14009, this pair ranks #398,590 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of étonne vs étonner
Shared letters: enoté. Private to "étonne": -. Private to "étonner": r.
"étonne" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV · "étonner" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "étonne" and "étonner" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "étonne" or "étonner" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "étonne" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "étonner" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #398,590 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "étonne" and "étonner" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "étonner vs étonnez". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #398,590 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.