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. |
Same sound, different letters: débiteur vs débiteurs
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 8 letters. débiteur runs 8 letters (CVCVCVVC) against débiteurs's 9 (CVCVCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Ear matches; page differs - débiteur and débiteurs
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "débiteur" for "débiteurs" ever safe?
Which is more common, "débiteur" or "débiteurs"?
Useful next steps
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "débiteur" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "débiteurs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #117,816 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "débiteur" and "débiteurs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "débiteurs vs démineurs". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #117,816 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.