Which to use
“épier” is a verb and “épis” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,447
- “épier” frequency rank
- #26,234
- “épis” frequency rank
- 75681
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épier | épis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Observer secrètement et avec attention les actions, les discours de quelqu’un, ou ce qui se passe quelque part. | Pluriel de épi. |
Where the eye mixes épier and épis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. épier runs 5 letters (VCVVC) against épis's 4 (VCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: épier vs épis
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: épier is \e.pje\ while épis is \e.pi\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75681, 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\. épis is at rank #26,234, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.pi\.
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 75681, this pair ranks #33,329 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of épier vs épis
Shared letters: ipé. Private to "épier": er. Private to "épis": s.
"épier" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC · "épis" · 4 letters · shape VCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "épier" and "épis" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "épier" vs "épis" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "épier" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #33,329 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épier" and "épis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "einer vs épier". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #33,329 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.