épisvsétuisWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“épis” and “étuis” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#26,234
“épis” frequency rank
#47,703
“étuis” frequency rank
73937
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature épis étuis
Definition Pluriel de épi. Pluriel de étui.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set épis and étuis apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
épis
5 ch
étuis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. épis (\e.pi\) and étuis (\e.tɥi\) 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 73937, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

épis is recorded at frequency rank #26,234, classified as anoun, pronounced \e.pi\. étuis is at rank #47,703, tagged as anoun, pronounced \e.tɥi\.

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 73937, this pair ranks #38,823 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of épis vs étuis

Shared letters: isé. Private to "épis": p. Private to "étuis": tu.

"épis" · 4 letters · shape VCVC  ·  "étuis" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC

Frequency comparison

épis#26,234
étuis#47,703

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "épis" and "étuis" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\e.pi\ versus \e.tɥi\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "épis" or "étuis"?
"épis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,234 in our French list, against #47,703 for "étuis". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering épis vs étuis

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 “épis” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list