Which to use
“débile” is an adjective and “défiler” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,550
- “débile” frequency rank
- #12,365
- “défiler” frequency rank
- 17915
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | débile | défiler |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Faible, qui manque de forces, de vigueur. | Détacher une chose du fil du cordon où elle était passée. |
Where the eye mixes débile and défiler
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. débile runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against défiler's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses débile with défiler
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: débile is \de.bil\ while défiler is \de.fi.le\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17915, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
débile is recorded at frequency rank #5,550, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.bil\. défiler is at rank #12,365, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.fi.le\.
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 17915, this pair ranks #380,845 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of débile vs défiler
Shared letters: deilé. Private to "débile": b. Private to "défiler": fr.
"débile" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "défiler" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "débile" for "défiler" ever safe?
Frequency check: "débile" vs "défiler" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "débile" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défiler" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #380,845 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "débile" and "défiler" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défiler vs délier". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #380,845 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.