Which to use
“décaler” and “décèle” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,977
- “décaler” frequency rank
- #46,127
- “décèle” frequency rank
- 72104
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | décaler | décèle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Enlever la cale à ; changer l’équilibre, l’aplomb. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de déceler. |
Where the eye mixes décaler and décèle
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. décaler runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against décèle's 6 (CVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between décaler and décèle
A purely visual mix-up. décaler (\de.ka.le\) and décèle (\de.sɛl\) 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 72104, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
décaler is recorded at frequency rank #25,977, classified as averb, pronounced \de.ka.le\. décèle is at rank #46,127, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.sɛl\.
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 72104, this pair ranks #45,191 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of décaler vs décèle
Shared letters: cdelé. Private to "décaler": ar. Private to "décèle": è.
"décaler" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "décèle" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "décaler" for "décèle" ever safe?
Frequency check: "décaler" vs "décèle" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "décaler" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "décèle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #45,191 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "décaler" and "décèle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "décèle vs dèche". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #45,191 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.