épicesvsespacesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“épices” and “espaces” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#12,088
“épices” frequency rank
#3,253
“espaces” frequency rank
15341
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature épices espaces
Definition Émolument qui était dû aux juges pendant un procès. Forme elliptique de épices des juges. Pluriel de espace.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
épices
7 ch
espaces

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. épices (\e.pis\) and espaces (\ɛs.pas\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15341, 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\. espaces is at rank #3,253, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɛs.pas\.

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 15341, this pair ranks #392,776 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of épices vs espaces

Shared letters: ceps. Private to "épices": . Private to "espaces": a.

"épices" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC  ·  "espaces" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • espacesepsaces · esapces · espacces · espacess · espacse · espaecs · espcaes · esppaces

Frequency comparison

épices#12,088
espaces#3,253

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "épices" and "espaces" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\e.pis\ versus \ɛs.pas\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "épices" or "espaces"?
"espaces" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,253 in our French list, against #12,088 for "épices". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering épices vs espaces

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • 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