Which to use
“épier” and “éviter” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,447
- “épier” frequency rank
- #862
- “éviter” frequency rank
- 50309
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épier | éviter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Observer secrètement et avec attention les actions, les discours de quelqu’un, ou ce qui se passe quelque part. | Échapper, se soustraire à quelque chose de nuisible, de désagréable. |
Where the eye mixes épier and éviter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. épier runs 5 letters (VCVVC) against éviter's 6 (VCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses épier with éviter
A purely visual mix-up. épier (\e.pje\) and éviter (\e.vi.te\) 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 50309, 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\. éviter is at rank #862, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.vi.te\.
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 50309, this pair ranks #163,676 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épier vs éviter
Shared letters: eiré. Private to "épier": p. Private to "éviter": tv.
"épier" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC · "éviter" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "épier" for "éviter" ever safe?
Which is more common, "épier" or "éviter"?
What to do next
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 "éviter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #163,676 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épier" and "éviter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "einer vs épier". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #163,676 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.