éparsvsépisConfusable pair

Quick tell: épars is a adjective, épis is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“épars” is an adjective and “épis” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#36,217
“épars” frequency rank
#26,234
“épis” frequency rank
62451
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature épars épis
Definition Répandu de ci, de là. Pluriel de épi.

Letter map: épars vs épis

Shared letters muted; letters that set épars and épis apart highlighted. Shared run: 3.

5 ch
épars
4 ch
épis

Part-of-speech tell for épars / épis

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: épars is anadjective and épisanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62451, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

épars is recorded at frequency rank #36,217, classified as anadj. épis is at rank #26,234, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.pi\.

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 62451, this pair ranks #87,059 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of épars vs épis

Shared letters: psé. Private to "épars": ar. Private to "épis": i.

"épars" · 5 letters · shape VCVCC  ·  "épis" · 4 letters · shape VCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "épars" and "épis" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "épars" is an adjective and "épis" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "épars" or "épis"?
"épis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,234 in our French list, against #36,217 for "épars". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "épars" and "épis".

  • Full dictionary entry for "épars" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "épis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #87,059 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "épars" and "épis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épars vs épaté". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #87,059 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list