Which to use
“débuta” and “débutée” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,785
- “débuta” frequency rank
- #41,237
- “débutée” frequency rank
- 74022
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | débuta | débutée |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du singulier du passé simple de débuter. | Participe passé féminin singulier de débuter. |
Where the eye mixes débuta and débutée
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. débuta runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against débutée's 7 (CVCVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses débuta with débutée
A purely visual mix-up. débuta (\de.by.ta\) and débutée (\de.by.te\) 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 74022, 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\. débutée is at rank #41,237, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.by.te\.
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 74022, this pair ranks #38,522 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of débuta vs débutée
Shared letters: bdtué. Private to "débuta": a. Private to "débutée": e.
"débuta" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "débutée" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "débuta" for "débutée" ever safe?
Frequency check: "débuta" vs "débutée" - 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 "débuta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "débutée" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #38,522 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "débuta" and "débutée" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "débutée vs dénudée". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #38,522 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.