débiteurvsdébiteursWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: débiteur is a noun, débiteurs is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“débiteur” is a noun and “débiteurs” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#18,719
“débiteur” frequency rank
#38,253
“débiteurs” frequency rank
56972
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature débiteur débiteurs
Definition Celui qui doit de l’argent, qui a une dette. Masculin pluriel de débiteur.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set débiteur and débiteurs apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
débiteur
9 ch
débiteurs

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Say them out loud and nothing separates them: débiteur and débiteurs carry the same recorded pronunciation, \de.bi.tœʁ\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “débiteur” sits inside “débiteurs”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56972, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

débiteur is recorded at frequency rank #18,719, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.bi.tœʁ\. débiteurs is at rank #38,253, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.bi.tœʁ\.

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 56972, this pair ranks #117,816 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of débiteur vs débiteurs

Shared letters: bdeirtué. Private to "débiteur": -. Private to "débiteurs": s.

"débiteur" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC  ·  "débiteurs" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVVCC

Frequency comparison

débiteur#18,719
débiteurs#38,253

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "débiteur" and "débiteurs" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "débiteur" is a noun and "débiteurs" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "débiteur" or "débiteurs"?
"débiteur" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,719 in our French list, against #38,253 for "débiteurs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering débiteur vs débiteurs

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “débiteur”; for an adjective, it's “débiteurs”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “débiteur” 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