Which to use
“étroite” and “étroits” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,266
- “étroite” frequency rank
- #16,283
- “étroits” frequency rank
- 23549
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | étroite | étroits |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin singulier de étroit. | Masculin pluriel de étroit. |
Where the eye mixes étroite and étroits
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. étroite (VCCVVCV) and étroits (VCCVVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between étroite and étroits
A purely visual mix-up. étroite (\e.tʁwat\) and étroits (\e.tʁwa\) 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 a single letter - e in “étroite” becomes s in “étroits”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23549, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
étroite is recorded at frequency rank #7,266, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.tʁwat\. étroits is at rank #16,283, tagged as anadj, pronounced \e.tʁwa\.
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 23549, this pair ranks #351,845 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of étroite vs étroits
Shared letters: iorté. Private to "étroite": e. Private to "étroits": s.
"étroite" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV · "étroits" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "étroite" for "étroits" ever safe?
Which is more common, "étroite" or "étroits"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "étroite" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "étroits" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #351,845 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "étroite" and "étroits" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "étreinte vs étroite". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #351,845 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.