Which to use
“épier” and “épuiser” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,447
- “épier” frequency rank
- #24,455
- “épuiser” frequency rank
- 73902
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épier | épuiser |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Observer secrètement et avec attention les actions, les discours de quelqu’un, ou ce qui se passe quelque part. | Mettre à sec en puisant, tarir. |
Where the eye mixes épier and épuiser
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. épier runs 5 letters (VCVVC) against épuiser's 7 (VCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: épier vs épuiser
A purely visual mix-up. épier (\e.pje\) and épuiser (\e.pɥi.ze\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73902, 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\. épuiser is at rank #24,455, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.pɥi.ze\.
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 73902, this pair ranks #38,925 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of épier vs épuiser
Shared letters: eipré. Private to "épier": -. Private to "épuiser": su.
"épier" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC · "épuiser" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "épier" for "épuiser" ever safe?
Which is more common, "épier" or "épuiser"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "épier" and "épuiser" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "épier" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épuiser" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #38,925 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épier" and "épuiser" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "einer vs épier". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #38,925 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.