Which to use
“épauler” and “épiler” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,088
- “épauler” frequency rank
- #32,250
- “épiler” frequency rank
- 65338
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épauler | épiler |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Blesser à l’épaule. | Dégarnir des poils, des cheveux. |
Where the eye mixes épauler and épiler
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. épauler runs 7 letters (VCVVCVC) against épiler's 6 (VCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: épauler vs épiler
A purely visual mix-up. épauler (\e.po.le\) and épiler (\e.pi.le\) 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 65338, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épauler is recorded at frequency rank #33,088, classified as averb, pronounced \e.po.le\. épiler is at rank #32,250, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.pi.le\.
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 65338, this pair ranks #72,832 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of épauler vs épiler
Shared letters: elpré. Private to "épauler": au. Private to "épiler": i.
"épauler" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC · "épiler" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "épauler" and "épiler" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "épauler" vs "épiler" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "épauler" and "épiler" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "épauler" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épiler" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #72,832 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épauler" and "épiler" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épier vs épiler". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #72,832 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.