Which to use
“débuta” and “débute” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,785
- “débuta” frequency rank
- #6,188
- “débute” frequency rank
- 38973
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | débuta | débute |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du singulier du passé simple de débuter. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de débuter. |
Where the eye mixes débuta and débute
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. débuta and débute follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses débuta with débute
A purely visual mix-up. débuta (\de.by.ta\) and débute (\de.byt\) 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 a single letter - a in “débuta” becomes e in “débute”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38973, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
débuta is recorded at frequency rank #32,785, classified as averb, pronounced \de.by.ta\. débute is at rank #6,188, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.byt\.
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 38973, this pair ranks #251,458 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of débuta vs débute
Shared letters: bdtué. Private to "débuta": a. Private to "débute": e.
"débuta" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "débute" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "débuta" for "débute" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "débuta" or "débute" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "débuta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "débute" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #251,458 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "débuta" and "débute" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "débouté vs débuta". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #251,458 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.