Which to use
“épingle” and “épingles” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,831
- “épingle” frequency rank
- #28,805
- “épingles” frequency rank
- 43636
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épingle | épingles |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Petite tige de métal (laiton, cuivre, fer, acier, etc.) terminée par une pointe à un bout et, de l’autre, par une tête → voir tête d’épingle. | Pluriel de épingle. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set épingle and épingles apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
This is the hard kind. épingle and épingles are pronounced identically (\e.pɛ̃ɡl\) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “épingle” sits inside “épingles”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43636, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épingle is recorded at frequency rank #14,831, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.pɛ̃ɡl\. épingles is at rank #28,805, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.pɛ̃ɡl\.
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 43636, this pair ranks #216,545 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épingle vs épingles
Shared letters: egilnpé. Private to "épingle": -. Private to "épingles": s.
"épingle" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCCV · "épingles" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "épingle" and "épingles" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "épingle" or "épingles"?
Remembering épingle vs épingles
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “épingle” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable