Which to use
“épais” and “épaisse” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,019
- “épais” frequency rank
- #10,107
- “épaisse” frequency rank
- 17126
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épais | épaisse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui a une certaine mesure dans la dimension transversale. | Féminin singulier de épais. |
Where the eye mixes épais and épaisse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. épais runs 5 letters (VCVVC) against épaisse's 7 (VCVVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between épais and épaisse
A purely visual mix-up. épais (\e.pɛ\) and épaisse (\e.pɛs\) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “épais” sits inside “épaisse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17126, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épais is recorded at frequency rank #7,019, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.pɛ\. épaisse is at rank #10,107, tagged as anadj, pronounced \e.pɛs\.
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 17126, this pair ranks #384,679 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of épais vs épaisse
Shared letters: aipsé. Private to "épais": -. Private to "épaisse": e.
"épais" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC · "épaisse" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "épais" and "épaisse" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "épais" vs "épaisse" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "épais" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épaisse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #384,679 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épais" and "épaisse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épaisse vs éprise". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #384,679 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.