Which to use
“épi” and “étai” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,231
- “épi” frequency rank
- #48,289
- “étai” frequency rank
- 74520
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épi | étai |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partie du blé et de plusieurs autres plantes graminées, qui est placée au sommet de la tige, et formée par la réunion des graines. | Pièce de bois ou de fer utilisée pour soutenir une construction qui menace de s’écrouler, ou qui est en travaux. |
Where the eye mixes épi and étai
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. épi runs 3 letters (VCV) against étai's 4 (VCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between épi and étai
A purely visual mix-up. épi (\e.pi\) and étai (\e.tɛ\) 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 74520, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épi is recorded at frequency rank #26,231, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.pi\. étai is at rank #48,289, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.tɛ\.
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 74520, this pair ranks #36,891 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of épi vs étai
Shared letters: ié. Private to "épi": p. Private to "étai": at.
"épi" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "étai" · 4 letters · shape VCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "épi" for "étai" ever safe?
Frequency check: "épi" vs "étai" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "épi" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "étai" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #36,891 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épi" and "étai" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "étai vs étuis". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #36,891 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.