épreuve

\e.pʁœv\

/\e.pʁœv\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“épreuve” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,158 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,158
frequency rank, French
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Action d’éprouver quelque chose ou quelqu'un, essai, expérience, test qu’on fait de quelque chose à surmonter.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

épreuve vs éprouve
86% similar
épreuve vs épreuves
88% similar
épreuve vs éprouver
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for épreuve
PropertyValue
Headwordépreuve
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\e.pʁœv\
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,158
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “épreuve” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). épreuve lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for épreuve is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \e.pʁœv\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,158 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for épreuve, with forms such as "epreuve", "péreuve", and "éperuve". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "éprouve", "épreuves", "éprouver", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is épreuve, spelled É-P-R-E-U-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Action d’éprouver quelque chose ou quelqu'un, essai, expérience, test qu’on fait de quelque chose à surmonter.
  2. 2
    Partie d'examen ou de concours ; compétition sportive.
  3. 3
    Malheur, obstacle de la vie, danger, etc.
  4. 4
    Feuille d’impression sur laquelle on indique les corrections, les changements que devra faire l’imprimeur.
  5. 5
    Premières feuilles qu’on tire sur une planche gravée pour juger de l’état du travail et voir s’il n’y a pas de fautes.
  6. 6
    Toute estampe ou gravure tirée après que le travail est entièrement terminé.
  7. 7
    Monnaie de collection frappée sur un flan qui a subi un polissage poussé au moyen de matrices dont les parties les plus hautes sont polies.
  8. 8
    Image obtenue par tirage d’après un cliché.
  9. 9
    Film brut après développement et avant montage.

This word in other languages

test(English)Test(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: epreuve,péreuve,éperuve,éppreuve,épreuev,épreuvve,éprevue,éprreuve,éprueve,érpeuve

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of épreuve - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

epreuve1péreuve2éperuve2éppreuve1épreuev2épreuvve1éprevue2éprreuve1
Edit distance from "épreuve"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "épreuve"?
"épreuve" is spelled É-P-R-E-U-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is \e.pʁœv\.
What does "épreuve" mean?
As a noun, "épreuve" means: Action d’éprouver quelque chose ou quelqu'un, essai, expérience, test qu’on fait de quelque chose à surmonter.
What words are commonly confused with "épreuve"?
"épreuve" is commonly confused with "éprouve", "épreuves", "éprouver". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "épreuve"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "épreuve" is \e.pʁœv\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "épreuve" come from?
"épreuve" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “épreuve”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is É-P-R-E-U-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \e.pʁœv\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “éprouve” - see the side-by-side comparison. épreuve vs éprouve
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list