évoluevsévoluerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“évolue” and “évoluer” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#6,155
“évolue” frequency rank
#4,543
“évoluer” frequency rank
10698
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature évolue évoluer
Definition Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de évoluer. Se transformer progressivement.

Where the eye mixes évolue and évoluer

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

6 ch
évolue
7 ch
évoluer

Why the eye confuses évolue with évoluer

A purely visual mix-up. évolue (\e.vɔ.ly\) and évoluer (\e.vɔ.lɥe\) 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) - “évolue” sits inside “évoluer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10698, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

évolue is recorded at frequency rank #6,155, classified as averb, pronounced \e.vɔ.ly\. évoluer is at rank #4,543, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.vɔ.lɥe\.

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 10698, this pair ranks #411,980 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of évolue vs évoluer

Shared letters: elouvé. Private to "évolue": -. Private to "évoluer": r.

"évolue" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVV  ·  "évoluer" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "évolue" and "évoluer" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\e.vɔ.ly\ versus \e.vɔ.lɥe\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "évolue" vs "évoluer" - which ranks higher?
"évoluer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,543 in our French list, against #6,155 for "évolue". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "évolue" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "évoluer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #411,980 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "évolue" and "évoluer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "évolue vs évoluées". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #411,980 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list