épvsepicWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ép is a verb, epic is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ép” is a verb and “epic” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#36,216
“ép” frequency rank
#19,010
“epic” frequency rank
55226
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ép epic
Definition Presser; pressurer; exprimer; fouler. Dans les méthodes agiles, fonctionnalité en attente de décomposition en stories plus petites.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ép and epic apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

2 ch
ép
4 ch
epic

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ép is \ɛp˦˥\ while epic is \e.pik\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55226, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ép is recorded at frequency rank #36,216, classified as averb, pronounced \ɛp˦˥\. epic is at rank #19,010, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.pik\.

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 55226, this pair ranks #128,839 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ép vs epic

Shared letters: p. Private to "ép": é. Private to "epic": cei.

"ép" · 2 letters · shape VC  ·  "epic" · 4 letters · shape VCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • epiceipc · epicc · eppic · peic

Frequency comparison

ép#36,216
epic#19,010

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ép" and "epic" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ép" is a verb and "epic" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ép" or "epic"?
"epic" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,010 in our French list, against #36,216 for "ép". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ép vs epic

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “ép”; for a noun, it's “epic”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ép” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list