Which to use
“décèle” and “décore” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #46,127
- “décèle” frequency rank
- #33,232
- “décore” frequency rank
- 79359
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | décèle | décore |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de déceler. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de décorer. |
Where the eye mixes décèle and décore
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. décèle and décore follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: décèle vs décore
A purely visual mix-up. décèle (\de.sɛl\) and décore (\de.kɔʁ\) 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 79359, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
décèle is recorded at frequency rank #46,127, classified as averb, pronounced \de.sɛl\. décore is at rank #33,232, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.kɔʁ\.
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 79359, this pair ranks #23,496 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of décèle vs décore
Shared letters: cdeé. Private to "décèle": lè. Private to "décore": or.
"décèle" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "décore" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "décèle" and "décore" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "décèle" vs "décore" - 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 "décèle" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "décore" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #23,496 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "décèle" and "décore" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "décèle vs dèche". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #23,496 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.