Which to use
“décore” and “déplore” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,232
- “décore” frequency rank
- #13,162
- “déplore” frequency rank
- 46394
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | décore | déplore |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de décorer. | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de déplorer. |
Where the eye mixes décore and déplore
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. décore runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against déplore's 7 (CVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses décore with déplore
A purely visual mix-up. décore (\de.kɔʁ\) and déplore (\de.plɔʁ\) 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 46394, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
décore is recorded at frequency rank #33,232, classified as averb, pronounced \de.kɔʁ\. déplore is at rank #13,162, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.plɔʁ\.
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 46394, this pair ranks #195,308 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of décore vs déplore
Shared letters: deoré. Private to "décore": c. Private to "déplore": lp.
"décore" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "déplore" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "décore" for "déplore" ever safe?
Which is more common, "décore" or "déplore"?
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 "décore" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "déplore" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #195,308 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "décore" and "déplore" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dèche vs décore". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #195,308 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.