Which to use
“débute” and “débuter” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,188
- “débute” frequency rank
- #9,644
- “débuter” frequency rank
- 15832
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | débute | débuter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de débuter. | Commencer. |
Where the eye mixes débute and débuter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between débute and débuter
A purely visual mix-up. débute (\de.byt\) and débuter (\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 extra letter(s) - “débute” sits inside “débuter”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15832, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
débute is recorded at frequency rank #6,188, classified as averb, pronounced \de.byt\. débuter is at rank #9,644, 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 15832, this pair ranks #390,646 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of débute vs débuter
Shared letters: bdetué. Private to "débute": -. Private to "débuter": r.
"débute" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "débuter" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "débute" and "débuter" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "débute" or "débuter"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "débute" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "débuter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #390,646 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "débute" and "débuter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "débuter vs dérouter". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #390,646 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.