épicesvsépilerWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#12,088
“épices” frequency rank
#32,250
“épiler” frequency rank
44338
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature épices épiler
Definition Émolument qui était dû aux juges pendant un procès. Forme elliptique de épices des juges. Dégarnir des poils, des cheveux.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set épices and épiler apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
épices
6 ch
épiler

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

épices and épiler form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44338, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

épices is recorded at frequency rank #12,088, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.pis\. 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 44338, this pair ranks #211,186 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

épices#12,088
épiler#32,250

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "épices" and "épiler" be used interchangeably?
No, "épices" and "épiler" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering épices vs épiler

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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