datationvsdélationConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#20,690
“datation” frequency rank
#38,257
“délation” frequency rank
58947
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature datation délation
Definition Action de dater, estimation d’une date par des moyens scientifiques. Dénonciation faite dans un mauvais dessein (obtenir un avantage quelconque, tel de l’argent).

Where the eye mixes datation and délation

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

8 ch
datation
8 ch
délation

Look-alike desk: datation vs délation

A purely visual mix-up. datation (\da.ta.sjɔ̃\) and délation (\de.la.sjɔ̃\) 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 58947, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

datation is recorded at frequency rank #20,690, classified as anoun, pronounced \da.ta.sjɔ̃\. délation is at rank #38,257, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.la.sjɔ̃\.

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 58947, this pair ranks #105,979 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of datation vs délation

Shared letters: adinot. Private to "datation": -. Private to "délation": .

"datation" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC  ·  "délation" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • datationadtation · daattion · dataiton · datatino · datationn · datatoin · datattion · dattaion

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "datation" and "délation" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\da.ta.sjɔ̃\ versus \de.la.sjɔ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "datation" vs "délation" - which ranks higher?
"datation" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,690 in our French list, against #38,257 for "délation". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "datation" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "délation" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #105,979 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "datation" and "délation" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "déflation vs délation". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #105,979 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list