épicéevsépicerieWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#40,088
“épicée” frequency rank
#9,102
“épicerie” frequency rank
49190
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature épicée épicerie
Definition Féminin singulier de épicé. Commerce des épices et d’un grand nombre de denrées de consommation courante.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set épicée and épicerie apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
épicée
8 ch
épicerie

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: épicée is \e.pi.se\ while épicerie is \e.pi.sʁi\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49190, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

épicée is recorded at frequency rank #40,088, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.pi.se\. épicerie is at rank #9,102, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.pi.sʁi\.

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 49190, this pair ranks #172,706 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of épicée vs épicerie

Shared letters: ceipé. Private to "épicée": -. Private to "épicerie": r.

"épicée" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVV  ·  "épicerie" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCVV

Frequency comparison

épicée#40,088
épicerie#9,102

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "épicée" and "épicerie" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "épicée" is an adjective and "épicerie" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "épicée" or "épicerie"?
"épicerie" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,102 in our French list, against #40,088 for "épicée". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering épicée vs épicerie

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “épicée”; for a noun, it's “épicerie”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “épicée” 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