Which to use
“peine” and “pépins” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #483
- “peine” frequency rank
- #28,312
- “pépins” frequency rank
- 28795
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | peine | pépins |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Punition, sanction ou châtiment infligé(e) pour une faute commise, pour un acte jugé répréhensible ou coupable, et en particulier punition pour une infraction à la loi et prononcée par un jugement. | Pluriel de pépin. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set peine and pépins apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. peine (\pɛn\) and pépins (\pe.pɛ̃\) 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 28795, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
peine is recorded at frequency rank #483, classified as anoun, pronounced \pɛn\. pépins is at rank #28,312, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pe.pɛ̃\.
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 28795, this pair ranks #320,678 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of peine vs pépins
Shared letters: inp. Private to "peine": e. Private to "pépins": sé.
"peine" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "pépins" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- peine ← epine · peien · peinne · penie · piene · ppeine
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "peine" and "pépins" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "peine" or "pépins"?
Remembering peine vs pépins
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 “peine” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable