Which to use
“etre” is a preposition and “êtres” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,412
- “etre” frequency rank
- #3,583
- “êtres” frequency rank
- 4995
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | etre | êtres |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Entre. | Répartition des diverses parties d’une maison, c’est-à-dire l’escalier, les corridors, les pièces, etc. S’emploie surtout dans ces phrases : |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set etre and êtres apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: etre is \e.ˈtreː\ while êtres is \ɛtʁ\. 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 (preposition vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4995, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
etre is recorded at frequency rank #1,412, classified as aprep, pronounced \e.ˈtreː\. êtres is at rank #3,583, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɛtʁ\.
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 4995, this pair ranks #430,178 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of etre vs êtres
Shared letters: ert. Private to "etre": -. Private to "êtres": sê.
"etre" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "êtres" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- etre ← erte · eter · ettre
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "etre" and "êtres" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "etre" or "êtres"?
Remembering etre vs êtres
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “etre”; for a noun, it's “êtres”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “etre” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable