Which to use
“décèle” and “décrète” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #46,127
- “décèle” frequency rank
- #24,554
- “décrète” frequency rank
- 70681
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | décèle | décrète |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de déceler. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de décréter. |
Where the eye mixes décèle and décrète
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. décèle runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against décrète's 7 (CVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: décèle vs décrète
A purely visual mix-up. décèle (\de.sɛl\) and décrète (\de.kʁɛt\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70681, 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\. décrète is at rank #24,554, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.kʁɛt\.
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 70681, this pair ranks #50,440 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of décèle vs décrète
Shared letters: cdeèé. Private to "décèle": l. Private to "décrète": rt.
"décèle" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "décrète" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "décèle" for "décrète" ever safe?
Which is more common, "décèle" or "décrète"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "décèle" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "décrète" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #50,440 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "décèle" and "décrète" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "décèle vs dèche". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #50,440 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.