épicévsépilerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: épicé is a adjective, épiler is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“épicé” is an adjective and “épiler” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#25,865
“épicé” frequency rank
#32,250
“épiler” frequency rank
58115
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature épicé épiler
Definition Assaisonné avec des épices. Dégarnir des poils, des cheveux.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set épicé and épiler apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
épicé
6 ch
épiler

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: épicé is \e.pi.se\ while épiler is \e.pi.le\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58115, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

épicé is recorded at frequency rank #25,865, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.pi.se\. 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 58115, this pair ranks #110,937 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of épicé vs épiler

Shared letters: ipé. Private to "épicé": c. Private to "épiler": elr.

"épicé" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV  ·  "épiler" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC

Frequency comparison

épicé#25,865
épiler#32,250

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "épicé" and "épiler" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "épicé" is an adjective and "épiler" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "épicé" or "épiler"?
"épicé" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,865 in our French list, against #32,250 for "épiler". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering épicé vs épiler

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “épicé”; for a verb, it's “épiler”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “épicé” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list