Which to use
“épier” and “expier” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,447
- “épier” frequency rank
- #43,421
- “expier” frequency rank
- 92868
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épier | expier |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Observer secrètement et avec attention les actions, les discours de quelqu’un, ou ce qui se passe quelque part. | Réparer un crime, une faute par le repentir, ou une peine, un châtiment imposé ou accepté. |
Where the eye mixes épier and expier
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. épier runs 5 letters (VCVVC) against expier's 6 (VCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses épier with expier
A purely visual mix-up. épier (\e.pje\) and expier (\ɛk.spje\) 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 92868, 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\. expier is at rank #43,421, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɛk.spje\.
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 92868, this pair ranks #2,694 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of épier vs expier
Shared letters: eipr. Private to "épier": é. Private to "expier": x.
"épier" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC · "expier" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- expier ← epxier · exiper · expeir · exppier · exxpier · xepier
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "épier" and "expier" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "épier" vs "expier" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "épier" and "expier" 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 "expier" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,694 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épier" and "expier" 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 #2,694 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.