Which to use
“épices” and “épines” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,088
- “épices” frequency rank
- #19,722
- “épines” frequency rank
- 31810
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épices | épines |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Émolument qui était dû aux juges pendant un procès. Forme elliptique de épices des juges. | Pluriel de épine. |
Where the eye mixes épices and épines
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between épices and épines
A purely visual mix-up. épices (\e.pis\) and épines (\e.pin\) 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 a single letter - c in “épices” becomes n in “épines”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31810, 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\. épines is at rank #19,722, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.pin\.
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 31810, this pair ranks #301,414 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épices vs épines
Shared letters: eipsé. Private to "épices": c. Private to "épines": n.
"épices" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "épines" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "épices" for "épines" ever safe?
Frequency check: "épices" vs "épines" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "épices" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épines" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #301,414 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épices" and "épines" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épier vs épines". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #301,414 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.