épaisvsépuiséWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“épais” and “épuisé” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,019
“épais” frequency rank
#9,259
“épuisé” frequency rank
16278
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature épais épuisé
Definition Qui a une certaine mesure dans la dimension transversale. (En parlant d’un gisement, d’une source) Qui ne contient plus de produit exploitable.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set épais and épuisé apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
épais
6 ch
épuisé

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. épais (\e.pɛ\) and épuisé (\e.pɥi.ze\) 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 16278, 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\. épuisé is at rank #9,259, tagged as anadj, pronounced \e.pɥi.ze\.

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 16278, this pair ranks #388,558 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of épais vs épuisé

Shared letters: ipsé. Private to "épais": a. Private to "épuisé": u.

"épais" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC  ·  "épuisé" · 6 letters · shape VCVVCV

Frequency comparison

épais#7,019
épuisé#9,259

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "épais" and "épuisé" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\e.pɛ\ versus \e.pɥi.ze\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "épais" or "épuisé"?
"épais" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,019 in our French list, against #9,259 for "épuisé". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering épais vs épuisé

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “épais” 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