Which to use
“débourser” and “détourner” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,546
- “débourser” frequency rank
- #8,842
- “détourner” frequency rank
- 31388
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | débourser | détourner |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tirer de l’argent de sa bourse, de sa caisse, pour faire un paiement. | Éloigner dans une autre direction. |
Where the eye mixes débourser and détourner
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. débourser and détourner follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses débourser with détourner
A purely visual mix-up. débourser (\de.buʁ.se\) and détourner (\de.tuʁ.ne\) 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 31388, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
débourser is recorded at frequency rank #22,546, classified as averb, pronounced \de.buʁ.se\. détourner is at rank #8,842, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tuʁ.ne\.
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 31388, this pair ranks #304,115 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of débourser vs détourner
Shared letters: deorué. Private to "débourser": bs. Private to "détourner": nt.
"débourser" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVC · "détourner" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "débourser" and "détourner" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "débourser" or "détourner"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "débourser" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détourner" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #304,115 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "débourser" and "détourner" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dédouaner vs détourner". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #304,115 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.