Which to use
“épais” and “épaves” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,019
- “épais” frequency rank
- #28,417
- “épaves” frequency rank
- 35436
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épais | épaves |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui a une certaine mesure dans la dimension transversale. | Pluriel de l’adjectif épave. |
Where the eye mixes épais and épaves
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. épais runs 5 letters (VCVVC) against épaves's 6 (VCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: épais vs épaves
A purely visual mix-up. épais (\e.pɛ\) and épaves (\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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35436, 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\. épaves is at rank #28,417, 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 35436, this pair ranks #276,785 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épais vs épaves
Shared letters: apsé. Private to "épais": i. Private to "épaves": ev.
"épais" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC · "épaves" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "épais" and "épaves" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "épais" vs "épaves" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "épais" and "épaves" 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 "épaves" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #276,785 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épais" and "épaves" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épaté vs épaves". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #276,785 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.