Which to use
“débute” and “déguste” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,188
- “débute” frequency rank
- #31,465
- “déguste” frequency rank
- 37653
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | débute | déguste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de débuter. | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de déguster. |
Where the eye mixes débute and déguste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. débute runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against déguste's 7 (CVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: débute vs déguste
A purely visual mix-up. débute (\de.byt\) and déguste (\de.ɡyst\) 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 37653, 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\. déguste is at rank #31,465, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.ɡyst\.
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 37653, this pair ranks #260,933 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of débute vs déguste
Shared letters: detué. Private to "débute": b. Private to "déguste": gs.
"débute" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "déguste" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "débute" for "déguste" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "débute" or "déguste" show up more?
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 "débute" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "déguste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #260,933 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "débute" and "déguste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "déduite vs déguste". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #260,933 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.