décalésvsdécimalesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“décalés” and “décimales” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#34,507
“décalés” frequency rank
#49,038
“décimales” frequency rank
83545
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature décalés décimales
Definition Masculin pluriel de décalé. Féminin pluriel de décimal.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set décalés and décimales apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
décalés
9 ch
décimales

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. décalés (\de.ka.le\) and décimales (\de.si.mal\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83545, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

décalés is recorded at frequency rank #34,507, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.ka.le\. décimales is at rank #49,038, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.si.mal\.

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 83545, this pair ranks #14,616 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of décalés vs décimales

Shared letters: acdlsé. Private to "décalés": -. Private to "décimales": eim.

"décalés" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "décimales" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

décalés#34,507
décimales#49,038

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "décalés" and "décimales" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.ka.le\ versus \de.si.mal\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "décalés" or "décimales"?
"décalés" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #34,507 in our French list, against #49,038 for "décimales". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering décalés vs décimales

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “décalés” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list