Which to use
“émoi” and “épi” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,825
- “émoi” frequency rank
- #26,231
- “épi” frequency rank
- 51056
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | émoi | épi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forte inquiétude. | Partie du blé et de plusieurs autres plantes graminées, qui est placée au sommet de la tige, et formée par la réunion des graines. |
Where the eye mixes émoi and épi
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. émoi runs 4 letters (VCVV) against épi's 3 (VCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses émoi with épi
A purely visual mix-up. émoi (\e.mwa\) and épi (\e.pi\) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51056, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
émoi is recorded at frequency rank #24,825, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.mwa\. épi is at rank #26,231, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.pi\.
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 51056, this pair ranks #157,928 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of émoi vs épi
Shared letters: ié. Private to "émoi": mo. Private to "épi": p.
"émoi" · 4 letters · shape VCVV · "épi" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "émoi" and "épi" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "émoi" vs "épi" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "émoi" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #157,928 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "émoi" and "épi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épi vs épier". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #157,928 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.