Which to use
“épier” and “épiler” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,447
- “épier” frequency rank
- #32,250
- “épiler” frequency rank
- 81697
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épier | épiler |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Observer secrètement et avec attention les actions, les discours de quelqu’un, ou ce qui se passe quelque part. | Dégarnir des poils, des cheveux. |
Where the eye mixes épier and épiler
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. épier runs 5 letters (VCVVC) against épiler's 6 (VCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between épier and épiler
A purely visual mix-up. épier (\e.pje\) and épiler (\e.pi.le\) 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 81697, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épier is recorded at frequency rank #49,447, classified as averb, pronounced \e.pje\. 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 81697, this pair ranks #18,214 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of épier vs épiler
Shared letters: eipré. Private to "épier": -. Private to "épiler": l.
"épier" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC · "épiler" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "épier" for "épiler" ever safe?
Frequency check: "épier" vs "épiler" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "épier" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épiler" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #18,214 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épier" and "épiler" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "einer vs épier". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #18,214 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.