débuter vs débuts, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“débuter” is a verb and “débuts” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#9,644
“débuter” frequency rank: #4,144
“débuts” frequency rank: 13788
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	débuter	débuts
Definition	Commencer.	Pluriel de début.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set débuter and débuts apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch

débuter

6 ch

débuts

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: débuter is \de.by.te\ while débuts is \de.by\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13788, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

débuter is recorded at frequency rank #9,644, classified as averb, pronounced \de.by.te\. débuts is at rank #4,144, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.by\.

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 13788, this pair ranks #399,529 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of débuter vs débuts

Shared letters: bdtué. Private to "débuter": er. Private to "débuts": s.

"débuter" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "débuts" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Frequency comparison

débuter#9,644

débuts#4,144

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "débuter" and "débuts" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "débuter" is a verb and "débuts" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "débuter" or "débuts"?

"débuts" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,144 in our French list, against #9,644 for "débuter". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering débuter vs débuts

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “débuter”; for a noun, it's “débuts”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “débuter” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable