entiervsépierWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: entier is a adjective, épier is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“entier” is an adjective and “épier” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,520
“entier” frequency rank
#49,447
“épier” frequency rank
50967
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entier épier
Definition Qui a toutes ses parties, ou que l’on considère dans toute son étendue. Observer secrètement et avec attention les actions, les discours de quelqu’un, ou ce qui se passe quelque part.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set entier and épier apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
entier
5 ch
épier

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: entier is \ɑ̃.tje\ while épier is \e.pje\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50967, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entier is recorded at frequency rank #1,520, classified as anadj, pronounced \ɑ̃.tje\. épier is at rank #49,447, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.pje\.

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 50967, this pair ranks #158,585 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of entier vs épier

Shared letters: eir. Private to "entier": nt. Private to "épier": .

"entier" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC  ·  "épier" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entiereniter · enntier · enteir · entierr · entire · enttier · etnier · netier

Frequency comparison

entier#1,520
épier#49,447

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entier" and "épier" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "entier" is an adjective and "épier" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "entier" or "épier"?
"entier" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,520 in our French list, against #49,447 for "épier". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering entier vs épier

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “entier”; for a verb, it's “épier”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “entier” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list