débarquervsdébloquerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,312
“débarquer” frequency rank
#12,769
“débloquer” frequency rank
23081
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature débarquer débloquer
Definition Tirer, ou faire sortir d’un navire, d’un bateau, ce qu’il contient. Délivrer du blocus.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set débarquer and débloquer apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
débarquer
9 ch
débloquer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. débarquer (\de.baʁ.ke\) and débloquer (\de.blɔ.ke\) 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 23081, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

débarquer is recorded at frequency rank #10,312, classified as averb, pronounced \de.baʁ.ke\. débloquer is at rank #12,769, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.blɔ.ke\.

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 23081, this pair ranks #354,482 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of débarquer vs débloquer

Shared letters: bdeqrué. Private to "débarquer": a. Private to "débloquer": lo.

"débarquer" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC  ·  "débloquer" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVVC

Frequency comparison

débarquer#10,312
débloquer#12,769

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "débarquer" and "débloquer" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.baʁ.ke\ versus \de.blɔ.ke\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "débarquer" or "débloquer"?
"débarquer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,312 in our French list, against #12,769 for "débloquer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering débarquer vs débloquer

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 “débarquer” 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