# epidemic vs epistemic

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### epidemic
*noun · IPA /ˌɛpɪˈdɛmɪk/ · frequency rank #9,601*
A widespread disease that affects many humans in a population.

### epistemic
*adjective · IPA /ˌɛpɪˈstiːmɪk/ · frequency rank #49,317*
Of or relating to cognition or knowledge, its scope, or how it is acquired.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/epidemic-vs-epistemic