Which to use
“épines” is a noun and “épiques” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,722
- “épines” frequency rank
- #30,441
- “épiques” frequency rank
- 50163
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épines | épiques |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de épine. | Pluriel de épique. |
Where the eye mixes épines and épiques
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. épines runs 6 letters (VCVCVC) against épiques's 7 (VCVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: épines vs épiques
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: épines is \e.pin\ while épiques is \e.pik\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50163, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épines is recorded at frequency rank #19,722, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.pin\. épiques is at rank #30,441, tagged as anadj, pronounced \e.pik\.
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 50163, this pair ranks #164,789 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épines vs épiques
Shared letters: eipsé. Private to "épines": n. Private to "épiques": qu.
"épines" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "épiques" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "épines" for "épiques" ever safe?
Which is more common, "épines" or "épiques"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "épines" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épiques" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #164,789 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épines" and "épiques" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épier vs épines". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #164,789 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.