The English verb “to confuse” and the adjective “confusing” can translate in several ways in French, depending on whether the meaning concerns mental uncertainty, a mix-up, or something that causes bewilderment. The main French verbs are confondre, embrouiller, troubler, dérouter, and brouiller. The common adjectives are confus(e), embrouillant(e), déroutant(e), and troublant(e).

1. “To confuse” meaning “to mix up”

When “to confuse” refers to mixing things up or mistaking one thing for another, French uses confondre.

• I always confuse these two words. → Je confonds toujours ces deux mots.
• He confused the dates. → Il a confondu les dates.
• Don’t confuse me with my brother. → Ne me confonds pas avec mon frère.
• She confused sugar with salt. → Elle a confondu le sucre et le sel.

In this sense, confondre usually takes a direct object and sometimes avec.

2. “To confuse” meaning “to cause confusion”

When “to confuse” means “to make something unclear” or “to cause confusion,” the verbs embrouiller or brouiller are often used.

• You’re confusing the issue. → Tu embrouilles la question.
• That explanation confused everyone. → Cette explication a embrouillé tout le monde.
• The signal was confused by interference. → Le signal a été brouillé par des interférences.

Embrouiller suggests mental or logical confusion; brouiller often refers to disorder, both literal and figurative (brouiller une image, brouiller les pistes).

3. “To confuse” meaning “to bewilder” or “to puzzle”

When “to confuse” means to bewilder, perplex, or throw someone off, French often uses dérouter or troubler.

• His answer confused me. → Sa réponse m’a déconcerté. / Sa réponse m’a troublé. / Sa réponse m’a dérouté.
• This question confuses students. → Cette question déroute les étudiants.
• The sudden change confused the audience. → Le changement soudain a troublé le public.

Dérouter implies disorientation or loss of bearings; troubler implies emotional or psychological disturbance.

4. “To confuse” meaning “to make someone unsure”

In contexts involving uncertainty, embarrassment, or fluster, troubler or gêner is used.

• He was confused by her question. → Il a été troublé par sa question.
• She seemed confused and nervous. → Elle semblait troublée et nerveuse.
• The student looked confused. → L’étudiant avait l’air perdu. or L’étudiant semblait confus.

Confus here describes embarrassment or mental fog, not a mix-up between things.

5. “Confusing” as an adjective

Several French adjectives correspond to “confusing,” depending on the cause of confusion.

• Confusing (unclear, hard to follow) → confus(e), embrouillant(e), peu clair
  • The instructions are confusing. → Les instructions sont confuses. / Les instructions embrouillent. / Les instructions sont peu claires.
  • The film’s plot is confusing. → L’intrigue du film est confuse.
  • Une notice peu claire peut décourager l’utilisateur → A confusing manual can discourage the user.
• Confusing (misleading or disorienting) → déroutant(e) or troublant(e)
  • The ending was confusing. → La fin était déroutante.
  • Her behaviour is confusing. → Son comportement est troublant.
• Confusing (in the sense of causing mistakes or mix-ups) → trompeur / trompeuse
  • The similar spelling is confusing. → L’orthographe semblable est trompeuse.

6. “Confused” vs. “confusing”

It is important to distinguish confus (the person is confused) from confusant / déroutant / embrouillant (the thing is confusing).

• I’m confused. → Je suis confus(e). / Je suis perdu(e). / Je ne comprends pas.
• This is confusing. → C’est déroutant. / C’est confus. / C’est trompeur.

In French, Je suis confus(e) can also mean “I’m embarrassed” or “I feel awkward,” depending on context:

• I’m sorry, I’m confused about what to do. → Je ne comprends pas bien ce qu’il faut faire.
• I’m sorry, I’m confused (embarrassed). → Je suis confus(e).

7. Idiomatic and derived forms

• Confondre quelqu’un can also mean “to confront” or “to catch someone out”:
  • He was confused (caught out) by the evidence. → Il a été confondu par les preuves.
• S’embrouiller means “to get mixed up” or “to get confused”:
  • He got confused in his explanation. → Il s’est embrouillé dans ses explications.
• Se brouiller avec quelqu’un means “to fall out with someone,” unrelated to confusion but derived from the same root.

Summary

• “To confuse” meaning “to mix up” → confondre
• “To confuse” meaning “to make unclear” → embrouiller, brouiller
• “To confuse” meaning “to puzzle” → dérouter, troubler, déconcerter
• “Confusing” meaning “unclear” → confus(e), embrouillant(e)
• “Confusing” meaning “misleading or puzzling” → déroutant(e), trompeur / trompeuse
• “Confused” (person) → confus(e), perdu(e), troublé(e)
• “To be fed up or mixed up” → s’embrouiller