Which to use
“épousent” and “épuisent” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,968
- “épousent” frequency rank
- #35,346
- “épuisent” frequency rank
- 81314
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épousent | épuisent |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de épouser. | Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de épuiser. |
Where the eye mixes épousent and épuisent
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. épousent and épuisent follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVVCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between épousent and épuisent
A purely visual mix-up. épousent (\e.puz\) and épuisent (\e.pɥiz\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 81314, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épousent is recorded at frequency rank #45,968, classified as averb, pronounced \e.puz\. épuisent is at rank #35,346, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.pɥiz\.
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 81314, this pair ranks #19,013 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of épousent vs épuisent
Shared letters: enpstué. Private to "épousent": o. Private to "épuisent": i.
"épousent" · 8 letters · shape VCVVCVCC · "épuisent" · 8 letters · shape VCVVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "épousent" for "épuisent" ever safe?
Which is more common, "épousent" or "épuisent"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "épousent" and "épuisent" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "épousent" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épuisent" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #19,013 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épousent" and "épuisent" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épousent vs excusent". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #19,013 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.