Which to use
“épique” is an adjective and “explique” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,289
- “épique” frequency rank
- #941
- “explique” frequency rank
- 13230
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épique | explique |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui raconte une épopée. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent du verbe expliquer. |
Where the eye mixes épique and explique
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: épique vs explique
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: épique is \e.pik\ while explique is \ɛk.splik\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13230, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épique is recorded at frequency rank #12,289, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.pik\. explique is at rank #941, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɛk.splik\.
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 13230, this pair ranks #401,877 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of épique vs explique
Shared letters: eipqu. Private to "épique": é. Private to "explique": lx.
"épique" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVV · "explique" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- explique ← epxlique · exlpique · expilque · expliqeu · expliqque · expliuqe · expllique · explqiue
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "épique" and "explique" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "épique" or "explique"?
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 "épique" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "explique" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #401,877 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épique" and "explique" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épicée vs épique". 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 #401,877 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.