Which to use
“décrire” is a verb and “derrière” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,751
- “décrire” frequency rank
- #564
- “derrière” frequency rank
- 5315
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | décrire | derrière |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Représenter, dépeindre dans son ensemble une personne, une chose, soit par écrit, soit de vive voix. | En arrière ou du côté opposé à la face. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set décrire and derrière apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: décrire is \de.kʁiʁ\ while derrière is \dɛ.ʁjɛʁ\. 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 (verb vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5315, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
décrire is recorded at frequency rank #4,751, classified as averb, pronounced \de.kʁiʁ\. derrière is at rank #564, tagged as anadv, pronounced \dɛ.ʁjɛʁ\.
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 5315, this pair ranks #429,358 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of décrire vs derrière
Shared letters: deir. Private to "décrire": cé. Private to "derrière": è.
"décrire" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "derrière" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "décrire" and "derrière" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "décrire" or "derrière"?
Remembering décrire vs derrière
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “décrire”; for an adverb, it's “derrière”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “décrire” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable