Which to use
“décret” is a noun and “décrète” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,669
- “décret” frequency rank
- #24,554
- “décrète” frequency rank
- 27223
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | décret | décrète |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Décision qui émane d’une autorité. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de décréter. |
Where the eye mixes décret and décrète
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. décret runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against décrète's 7 (CVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between décret and décrète
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: décret is \de.kʁɛ\ while décrète is \de.kʁɛt\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27223, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
décret is recorded at frequency rank #2,669, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.kʁɛ\. décrète is at rank #24,554, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.kʁɛt\.
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 27223, this pair ranks #330,330 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of décret vs décrète
Shared letters: cderté. Private to "décret": -. Private to "décrète": è.
"décret" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "décrète" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "décret" and "décrète" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "décret" or "décrète" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "décret" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "décrète" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #330,330 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "décret" and "décrète" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "décrète vs désuète". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #330,330 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.