décalage

\de.ka.laʒ\

/\de.ka.laʒ\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“décalage” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #7,427 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,427
frequency rank, French
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Action de décaler ou résultat de cette action.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

décalage vs décale
75% similar
décalage vs décalée
75% similar
décalage vs declare
63% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for décalage
PropertyValue
Headworddécalage
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\de.ka.laʒ\
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,427
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “décalage” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). décalage lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for décalage is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \de.ka.laʒ\. Corpus data places it at rank #7,427 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for décalage, with forms such as "dcéalage", "ddécalage", and "decalage". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "décale", "décalée", "declare", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is décalage, spelled D-É-C-A-L-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Action de décaler ou résultat de cette action.
  2. 2
    Distance qui, dans un choc frontal, sépare les deux axes longitudinaux médians de deux véhicules se heurtant.
  3. 3
    Distance qui, dans un choc latéral, sépare l'axe longitudinal du véhicule heurtant de l'axe transversal médian du véhicule heurté.
  4. 4
    Fonction permettant à l’auditeur ou au téléspectateur de suspendre la réception d’un programme tout en l’enregistrant pour en reprendre ultérieurement le cours à son point d’interruption.

This word in other languages

offset(English)Verschiebung(Deutsch)distância(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: dcéalage,ddécalage,decalage,déaclage,décaalge,décalaeg,décalagge,décalgae,décallage,déccalage,déclaage,édcalage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of décalage - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

dcéalage2ddécalage1decalage1déaclage2décaalge2décalaeg2décalagge1décalgae2
Edit distance from "décalage"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "décalage"?
"décalage" is spelled D-É-C-A-L-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is \de.ka.laʒ\.
What does "décalage" mean?
As a noun, "décalage" means: Action de décaler ou résultat de cette action.
What words are commonly confused with "décalage"?
"décalage" is commonly confused with "décale", "décalée", "declare". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "décalage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "décalage" is \de.ka.laʒ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "décalage" come from?
"décalage" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “décalage”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is D-É-C-A-L-A-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \de.ka.laʒ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “décale” - see the side-by-side comparison. décalage vs décale
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list