Which to use
“épaisse” and “épuisée” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,107
- “épaisse” frequency rank
- #15,070
- “épuisée” frequency rank
- 25177
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épaisse | épuisée |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin singulier de épais. | Féminin singulier de épuisé. |
Where the eye mixes épaisse and épuisée
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. épaisse (VCVVCCV) and épuisée (VCVVCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between épaisse and épuisée
A purely visual mix-up. épaisse (\e.pɛs\) and épuisée (\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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25177, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épaisse is recorded at frequency rank #10,107, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.pɛs\. épuisée is at rank #15,070, 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 25177, this pair ranks #342,346 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of épaisse vs épuisée
Shared letters: eipsé. Private to "épaisse": a. Private to "épuisée": u.
"épaisse" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCCV · "épuisée" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "épaisse" and "épuisée" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "épaisse" or "épuisée"?
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 "épaisse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épuisée" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #342,346 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épaisse" and "épuisée" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "éprise vs épuisée". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #342,346 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.