Which to use
“déboule” and “décolle” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,835
- “déboule” frequency rank
- #18,725
- “décolle” frequency rank
- 61560
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | déboule | décolle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de débouler. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de décoller. |
Where the eye mixes déboule and décolle
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. déboule (CVCVVCV) and décolle (CVCVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses déboule with décolle
A purely visual mix-up. déboule (\de.bul\) and décolle (\de.kɔl\) 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 61560, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
déboule is recorded at frequency rank #42,835, classified as averb, pronounced \de.bul\. décolle is at rank #18,725, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.kɔl\.
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 61560, this pair ranks #91,588 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of déboule vs décolle
Shared letters: deloé. Private to "déboule": bu. Private to "décolle": c.
"déboule" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV · "décolle" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "déboule" for "décolle" ever safe?
Frequency check: "déboule" vs "décolle" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "déboule" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "décolle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #91,588 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "déboule" and "décolle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "déboule vs déroula". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #91,588 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.