débrouillentvsdébrouillerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“débrouillent” and “débrouiller” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#46,714
“débrouillent” frequency rank
#14,019
“débrouiller” frequency rank
60733
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature débrouillent débrouiller
Definition Troisième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de débrouiller. Démêler, mettre en ordre des choses qui sont en confusion.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set débrouillent and débrouiller apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
débrouillent
11 ch
débrouiller

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. débrouillent (\de.bʁuj\) and débrouiller (\de.bʁu.je\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60733, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

débrouillent is recorded at frequency rank #46,714, classified as averb, pronounced \de.bʁuj\. débrouiller is at rank #14,019, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.bʁu.je\.

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 60733, this pair ranks #96,059 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of débrouillent vs débrouiller

Shared letters: bdeilorué. Private to "débrouillent": nt. Private to "débrouiller": -.

"débrouillent" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVVVCCVCC  ·  "débrouiller" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVVVCCVC

Frequency comparison

débrouillent#46,714
débrouiller#14,019

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "débrouillent" and "débrouiller" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.bʁuj\ versus \de.bʁu.je\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "débrouillent" or "débrouiller"?
"débrouiller" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,019 in our French list, against #46,714 for "débrouillent". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering débrouillent vs débrouiller

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “débrouillent” 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