décorevsdérobeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#33,232
“décore” frequency rank
#39,767
“dérobe” frequency rank
72999
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature décore dérobe
Definition Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de décorer. Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de dérober.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set décore and dérobe apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
décore
6 ch
dérobe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. décore (\de.kɔʁ\) and dérobe (\de.ʁɔb\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72999, 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\. dérobe is at rank #39,767, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.ʁɔb\.

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 72999, this pair ranks #42,033 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of décore vs dérobe

Shared letters: deoré. Private to "décore": c. Private to "dérobe": b.

"décore" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "dérobe" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Frequency comparison

décore#33,232
dérobe#39,767

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "décore" and "dérobe" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.kɔʁ\ versus \de.ʁɔb\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "décore" or "dérobe"?
"décore" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,232 in our French list, against #39,767 for "dérobe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering décore vs dérobe

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 “décore” 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