Which to use
“décalés” is an adjective and “défilés” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #34,507
- “décalés” frequency rank
- #19,266
- “défilés” frequency rank
- 53773
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | décalés | défilés |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Masculin pluriel de décalé. | Pluriel de défilé. |
Where the eye mixes décalés and défilés
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. décalés and défilés follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses décalés with défilés
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: décalés is \de.ka.le\ while défilés is \de.fi.le\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53773, 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\. défilés is at rank #19,266, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.fi.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 53773, this pair ranks #138,450 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of décalés vs défilés
Shared letters: dlsé. Private to "décalés": ac. Private to "défilés": fi.
"décalés" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "défilés" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "décalés" for "défilés" ever safe?
Which is more common, "décalés" or "défilés"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "décalés" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défilés" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #138,450 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "décalés" and "défilés" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "décalés vs décimales". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #138,450 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.