Which to use
“épuiser” and “équiper” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,455
- “épuiser” frequency rank
- #14,394
- “équiper” frequency rank
- 38849
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | épuiser | équiper |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mettre à sec en puisant, tarir. | Pourvoir un vaisseau, une flotte de tout ce qui est nécessaire. |
Where the eye mixes épuiser and équiper
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. épuiser and équiper follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses épuiser with équiper
A purely visual mix-up. épuiser (\e.pɥi.ze\) and équiper (\e.ki.pe\) 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 38849, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
épuiser is recorded at frequency rank #24,455, classified as averb, pronounced \e.pɥi.ze\. équiper is at rank #14,394, tagged as averb, pronounced \e.ki.pe\.
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 38849, this pair ranks #252,368 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of épuiser vs équiper
Shared letters: eiprué. Private to "épuiser": s. Private to "équiper": q.
"épuiser" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC · "équiper" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "épuiser" for "équiper" ever safe?
Which is more common, "épuiser" or "équiper"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "épuiser" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "équiper" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #252,368 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "épuiser" and "équiper" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "épier vs épuiser". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #252,368 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.