Which to use
“décerner” is a verb and “déjeuner” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,841
- “décerner” frequency rank
- #2,710
- “déjeuner” frequency rank
- 26551
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | décerner | déjeuner |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Établir à l’adresse de quelqu’un, délivrer. | Repas de midi. Repas du matin. |
Where the eye mixes décerner and déjeuner
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. décerner (CVCVCCVC) and déjeuner (CVCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses décerner with déjeuner
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: décerner is \de.sɛʁ.ne\ while déjeuner is \de.ʒœ.ne\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26551, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
décerner is recorded at frequency rank #23,841, classified as averb, pronounced \de.sɛʁ.ne\. déjeuner is at rank #2,710, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.ʒœ.ne\.
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 26551, this pair ranks #334,313 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of décerner vs déjeuner
Shared letters: denré. Private to "décerner": c. Private to "déjeuner": ju.
"décerner" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "déjeuner" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "décerner" for "déjeuner" ever safe?
Which is more common, "décerner" or "déjeuner"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "décerner" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "déjeuner" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #334,313 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "décerner" and "déjeuner" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "December vs décerner". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #334,313 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.