Which to use
“étroit” and “étroites” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,421
- “étroit” frequency rank
- #14,586
- “étroites” frequency rank
- 24007
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | étroit | étroites |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | De petite largeur. | Féminin pluriel de étroit. |
Where the eye mixes étroit and étroites
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. étroit runs 6 letters (VCCVVC) against étroites's 8 (VCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: étroit vs étroites
A purely visual mix-up. étroit (\e.tʁwa\) and étroites (\e.tʁwat\) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “étroit” sits inside “étroites”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24007, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
étroit is recorded at frequency rank #9,421, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.tʁwa\. 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 24007, this pair ranks #349,206 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of étroit vs étroites
Shared letters: iorté. Private to "étroit": -. Private to "étroites": es.
"étroit" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC · "étroites" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "étroit" and "étroites" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "étroit" or "étroites"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "étroit" 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 #349,206 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "étroit" and "étroites" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "étroites vs étroitesse". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #349,206 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.