épuisentvsépuiserWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#35,346
“épuisent” frequency rank
#24,455
“épuiser” frequency rank
59801
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature épuisent épuiser
Definition Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de épuiser. Mettre à sec en puisant, tarir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set épuisent and épuiser apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
épuisent
7 ch
épuiser

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. épuisent (\e.pɥiz\) and épuiser (\e.pɥi.ze\) 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 59801, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

épuisent is recorded at frequency rank #35,346, classified as averb, pronounced \e.pɥiz\. 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 59801, this pair ranks #101,112 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of épuisent vs épuiser

Shared letters: eipsué. Private to "épuisent": nt. Private to "épuiser": r.

"épuisent" · 8 letters · shape VCVVCVCC  ·  "épuiser" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC

Frequency comparison

épuisent#35,346
épuiser#24,455

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "épuisent" and "épuiser" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\e.pɥiz\ versus \e.pɥi.ze\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "épuisent" or "épuiser"?
"épuiser" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,455 in our French list, against #35,346 for "épuisent". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering épuisent vs épuiser

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 “épuisent” 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