Which to use
“épaisses” and “épuisées” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,516
- “épaisses” frequency rank
- #36,675
- “épuisées” frequency rank
- 58191
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épaisses | épuisées |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin pluriel de épais. | Féminin pluriel de épuisé. |
Where the eye mixes épaisses and épuisées
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. épaisses (VCVVCCVC) and épuisées (VCVVCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses épaisses with épuisées
A purely visual mix-up. épaisses (\e.pɛs\) and épuisées (\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 58191, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épaisses is recorded at frequency rank #21,516, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.pɛs\. épuisées is at rank #36,675, 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 58191, this pair ranks #110,503 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of épaisses vs épuisées
Shared letters: eipsé. Private to "épaisses": a. Private to "épuisées": u.
"épaisses" · 8 letters · shape VCVVCCVC · "épuisées" · 8 letters · shape VCVVCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "épaisses" and "épuisées" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "épaisses" vs "épuisées" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "épaisses" and "épuisées" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "épaisses" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épuisées" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #110,503 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épaisses" and "épuisées" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épuisées vs épuisent". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #110,503 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.