déchirentvsdéchirerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“déchirent” and “déchirer” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#27,041
“déchirent” frequency rank
#14,661
“déchirer” frequency rank
41702
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature déchirent déchirer
Definition Troisième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de déchirer. Rompre en tirant avec force un côté en direction opposée de celle de l’autre.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set déchirent and déchirer apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
déchirent
8 ch
déchirer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. déchirent (\de.ʃiʁ\) and déchirer (\de.ʃi.ʁe\) 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 41702, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

déchirent is recorded at frequency rank #27,041, classified as averb, pronounced \de.ʃiʁ\. déchirer is at rank #14,661, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.ʃi.ʁe\.

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 41702, this pair ranks #231,132 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of déchirent vs déchirer

Shared letters: cdehiré. Private to "déchirent": nt. Private to "déchirer": -.

"déchirent" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC  ·  "déchirer" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

déchirent#27,041
déchirer#14,661

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "déchirent" and "déchirer" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.ʃiʁ\ versus \de.ʃi.ʁe\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "déchirent" or "déchirer"?
"déchirer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,661 in our French list, against #27,041 for "déchirent". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering déchirent vs déchirer

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “déchirent” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list