Which to use
“épaves” is an adjective and “épines” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #28,417
- “épaves” frequency rank
- #19,722
- “épines” frequency rank
- 48139
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épaves | épines |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de l’adjectif épave. | Pluriel de épine. |
Where the eye mixes épaves and épines
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. épaves and épines follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: épaves vs épines
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: épaves is \e.pav\ while épines is \e.pin\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48139, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épaves is recorded at frequency rank #28,417, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.pav\. épines is at rank #19,722, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.pin\.
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 48139, this pair ranks #181,345 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épaves vs épines
Shared letters: epsé. Private to "épaves": av. Private to "épines": in.
"épaves" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "épines" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "épaves" for "épines" ever safe?
Which is more common, "épaves" or "épines"?
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 "épaves" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épines" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #181,345 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épaves" and "épines" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épaté vs épaves". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #181,345 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.