décédéesvsdécoréesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,995
“décédées” frequency rank
#24,945
“décorées” frequency rank
59940
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature décédées décorées
Definition Féminin pluriel de décédé. Féminin pluriel de décoré.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
décédées
8 ch
décorées

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. décédées (\de.se.de\) and décorées (\de.kɔ.ʁe\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59940, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

décédées is recorded at frequency rank #34,995, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.se.de\. décorées is at rank #24,945, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.kɔ.ʁe\.

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 59940, this pair ranks #100,329 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of décédées vs décorées

Shared letters: cdesé. Private to "décédées": -. Private to "décorées": or.

"décédées" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC  ·  "décorées" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC

Frequency comparison

décédées#34,995
décorées#24,945

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "décédées" and "décorées" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.se.de\ versus \de.kɔ.ʁe\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "décédées" or "décorées"?
"décorées" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,945 in our French list, against #34,995 for "décédées". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering décédées vs décorées

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 “décédées” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list