épuiservséquiperWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set épuiser and équiper apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
épuiser
7 ch
équiper

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

Frequency comparison

épuiser#24,455
équiper#14,394

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "épuiser" and "équiper" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\e.pɥi.ze\ versus \e.ki.pe\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "épuiser" or "équiper"?
"équiper" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,394 in our French list, against #24,455 for "épuiser". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering épuiser vs équiper

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 “épuiser” 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