Which to use
“épuisé” is an adjective and “épuiser” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,259
- “épuisé” frequency rank
- #24,455
- “épuiser” frequency rank
- 33714
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épuisé | épuiser |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (En parlant d’un gisement, d’une source) Qui ne contient plus de produit exploitable. | Mettre à sec en puisant, tarir. |
Same sound, different letters: épuisé vs épuiser
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 5 letters. épuisé runs 6 letters (VCVVCV) against épuiser's 7 (VCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Homophone desk: épuisé vs épuiser
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: épuisé and épuiser carry the same recorded pronunciation, \e.pɥi.ze\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadjective, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33714, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épuisé is recorded at frequency rank #9,259, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.pɥi.ze\. épuiser is at rank #24,455, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.pɥi.ze\.
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 33714, this pair ranks #288,790 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épuisé vs épuiser
Shared letters: ipsué. Private to "épuisé": -. Private to "épuiser": er.
"épuisé" · 6 letters · shape VCVVCV · "épuiser" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "épuisé" for "épuiser" ever safe?
Frequency check: "épuisé" vs "épuiser" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
You've separated the homophone pair "épuisé" / "épuiser". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "épuisé" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "épuiser" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #288,790 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épuisé" and "épuiser" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épier vs épuiser". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #288,790 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.