épvsépisWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#36,216
“ép” frequency rank
#26,234
“épis” frequency rank
62450
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ép épis
Definition Presser; pressurer; exprimer; fouler. Pluriel de épi.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ép and épis apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

2 ch
ép
4 ch
épis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ép is \ɛp˦˥\ while épis is \e.pi\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “ép” sits inside “épis”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62450, 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˦˥\. épis is at rank #26,234, 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 62450, this pair ranks #87,065 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ép vs épis

Shared letters: . Private to "ép": -. Private to "épis": is.

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

Frequency comparison

ép#36,216
épis#26,234

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ép" and "épis" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ép" is a verb and "épis" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ép" or "épis"?
"épis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,234 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 épis

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 “épis”.
  • 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