décochervsdécrocheWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#46,126
“décocher” frequency rank
#9,310
“décroche” frequency rank
55436
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature décocher décroche
Definition Tirer une flèche avec l’arbalète ou avec toute autre arme de trait semblable. Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de décrocher.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
décocher
8 ch
décroche

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. décocher (\de.kɔ.ʃe\) and décroche (\de.kʁɔʃ\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they are an anagram pair: the same letters reordered. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55436, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

décocher is recorded at frequency rank #46,126, classified as averb, pronounced \de.kɔ.ʃe\. décroche is at rank #9,310, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.kʁɔʃ\.

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 55436, this pair ranks #127,462 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of décocher vs décroche

Shared letters: cdehoré. Private to "décocher": -. Private to "décroche": -.

"décocher" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "décroche" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Frequency comparison

décocher#46,126
décroche#9,310

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "décocher" and "décroche" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.kɔ.ʃe\ versus \de.kʁɔʃ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "décocher" or "décroche"?
"décroche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,310 in our French list, against #46,126 for "décocher". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering décocher vs décroche

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 “décocher” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list