Which to use
“épiceries” and “épidémies” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,826
- “épiceries” frequency rank
- #17,854
- “épidémies” frequency rank
- 42680
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épiceries | épidémies |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de épicerie. | Pluriel de épidémie. |
Where the eye mixes épiceries and épidémies
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. épiceries and épidémies follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCVCVVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses épiceries with épidémies
A purely visual mix-up. épiceries (\e.pi.sʁi\) and épidémies (\e.pi.de.mi\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42680, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épiceries is recorded at frequency rank #24,826, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.pi.sʁi\. épidémies is at rank #17,854, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.pi.de.mi\.
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 42680, this pair ranks #223,766 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épiceries vs épidémies
Shared letters: eipsé. Private to "épiceries": cr. Private to "épidémies": dm.
"épiceries" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCVVC · "épidémies" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "épiceries" and "épidémies" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "épiceries" or "épidémies"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "épiceries" and "épidémies" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "épiceries" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épidémies" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #223,766 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épiceries" and "épidémies" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épicerie vs épiceries". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #223,766 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.