Which to use
“décalée” is an adjective and “décaler” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,289
- “décalée” frequency rank
- #25,977
- “décaler” frequency rank
- 51266
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | décalée | décaler |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin singulier de décalé. | Enlever la cale à ; changer l’équilibre, l’aplomb. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set décalée and décaler apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: décalée and décaler carry the same recorded pronunciation, \de.ka.le\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadjective, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51266, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
décalée is recorded at frequency rank #25,289, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.ka.le\. décaler is at rank #25,977, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.ka.le\.
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 51266, this pair ranks #156,337 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of décalée vs décaler
Shared letters: acdelé. Private to "décalée": -. Private to "décaler": r.
"décalée" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV · "décaler" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "décalée" and "décaler" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "décalée" or "décaler"?
Remembering décalée vs décaler
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “décalée”; for a verb, it's “décaler”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “décalée” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable