Which to use
“envier” and “expier” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,195
- “envier” frequency rank
- #43,421
- “expier” frequency rank
- 61616
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | envier | expier |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Désirer pour soi les avantages d’autrui. | Réparer un crime, une faute par le repentir, ou une peine, un châtiment imposé ou accepté. |
Where the eye mixes envier and expier
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between envier and expier
A purely visual mix-up. envier (\ɑ̃.vje\) and expier (\ɛk.spje\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61616, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
envier is recorded at frequency rank #18,195, classified as averb, pronounced \ɑ̃.vje\. expier is at rank #43,421, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɛk.spje\.
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 61616, this pair ranks #91,322 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of envier vs expier
Shared letters: eir. Private to "envier": nv. Private to "expier": px.
"envier" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC · "expier" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "envier" and "expier" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "envier" vs "expier" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "envier" and "expier" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "envier" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "expier" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #91,322 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "envier" and "expier" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épier vs expier". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #91,322 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.