Which to use
“déceler” and “décoller” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,721
- “déceler” frequency rank
- #12,771
- “décoller” frequency rank
- 31492
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | déceler | décoller |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dévoiler ce que quelqu’un cache intentionnellement. | Séparer, détacher une chose qui était collée. |
Where the eye mixes déceler and décoller
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. déceler runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against décoller's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: déceler vs décoller
A purely visual mix-up. déceler (\de.s(ə.)le\) and décoller (\de.kɔ.le\) 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 31492, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
déceler is recorded at frequency rank #18,721, classified as averb, pronounced \de.s(ə.)le\. décoller is at rank #12,771, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.kɔ.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 31492, this pair ranks #303,461 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of déceler vs décoller
Shared letters: cdelré. Private to "déceler": -. Private to "décoller": o.
"déceler" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "décoller" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "déceler" for "décoller" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "déceler" or "décoller" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "déceler" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "décoller" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #303,461 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "déceler" and "décoller" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "décèle vs déceler". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #303,461 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.