Which to use
“décéder” and “décoder” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,290
- “décéder” frequency rank
- #33,230
- “décoder” frequency rank
- 70520
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | décéder | décoder |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mourir, en parlant des personnes. | Déchiffrer ce qui est codé. |
Where the eye mixes décéder and décoder
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: décéder vs décoder
A purely visual mix-up. décéder (\de.se.de\) and décoder (\de.kɔ.de\) 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 a single letter - é in “décéder” becomes o in “décoder”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70520, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
décéder is recorded at frequency rank #37,290, classified as averb, pronounced \de.se.de\. décoder is at rank #33,230, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.kɔ.de\.
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 70520, this pair ranks #51,023 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of décéder vs décoder
Shared letters: cderé. Private to "décéder": -. Private to "décoder": o.
"décéder" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "décoder" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "décéder" for "décoder" ever safe?
Frequency check: "décéder" vs "décoder" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "décéder" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "décoder" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #51,023 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "décéder" and "décoder" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "décèdent vs décéder". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #51,023 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.