Which to use
“épier” and “exiger” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,447
- “épier” frequency rank
- #7,824
- “exiger” frequency rank
- 57271
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épier | exiger |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Observer secrètement et avec attention les actions, les discours de quelqu’un, ou ce qui se passe quelque part. | Demander quelque chose en vertu d’un droit légitime ou prétendu tel. |
Where the eye mixes épier and exiger
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: épier vs exiger
A purely visual mix-up. épier (\e.pje\) and exiger (\eɡ.zi.ʒe\) 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 57271, 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\. exiger is at rank #7,824, tagged as averb, pronounced \eɡ.zi.ʒe\.
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 57271, this pair ranks #116,052 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épier vs exiger
Shared letters: eir. Private to "épier": pé. Private to "exiger": gx.
"épier" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC · "exiger" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- exiger ← eixger · exgier · exiegr · exigerr · exigger · exigre · exxiger · xeiger
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "épier" and "exiger" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "épier" or "exiger"?
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 "exiger" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #116,052 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épier" and "exiger" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "einer vs épier". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #116,052 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.