Which to use
“épine” and “épis” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,328
- “épine” frequency rank
- #26,234
- “épis” frequency rank
- 46562
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épine | épis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Branche, feuille, stipule ou partie de feuille transformée en un organe allongé et piquant ; par opposition à l’aiguillon. | Pluriel de épi. |
Where the eye mixes épine and épis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: épine vs épis
A purely visual mix-up. épine (\e.pin\) and épis (\e.pi\) 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 46562, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épine is recorded at frequency rank #20,328, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.pin\. 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 46562, this pair ranks #193,920 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épine vs épis
Shared letters: ipé. Private to "épine": en. Private to "épis": s.
"épine" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "épis" · 4 letters · shape VCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "épine" and "épis" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "épine" vs "épis" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "épine" 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 #193,920 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épine" and "épis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épier vs épis". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #193,920 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.