Which to use
“épais” and “épave” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,019
- “épais” frequency rank
- #13,498
- “épave” frequency rank
- 20517
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épais | épave |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui a une certaine mesure dans la dimension transversale. | Qui est égaré et dont on ne connaît pas le propriétaire. S’utilise surtout pour les animaux d’élevage. |
Where the eye mixes épais and épave
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. épais (VCVVC) and épave (VCVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: épais vs épave
A purely visual mix-up. épais (\e.pɛ\) and épave (\e.pav\) 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 20517, 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\. épave is at rank #13,498, tagged as anadj, pronounced \e.pav\.
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 20517, this pair ranks #367,873 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of épais vs épave
Shared letters: apé. Private to "épais": is. Private to "épave": ev.
"épais" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC · "épave" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "épais" and "épave" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "épais" vs "épave" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "épais" and "épave" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "épais" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épave" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #367,873 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épais" and "épave" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épaté vs épave". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #367,873 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.