déçusvsdusWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,572
“déçus” frequency rank
#9,817
“dus” frequency rank
21389
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature déçus dus
Definition Masculin pluriel de déçu. Masculin pluriel de dû.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set déçus and dus apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
déçus
3 ch
dus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. déçus (\de.sy\) and dus (\dy\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21389, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

déçus is recorded at frequency rank #11,572, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.sy\. dus is at rank #9,817, tagged as anadj, pronounced \dy\.

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 21389, this pair ranks #363,409 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of déçus vs dus

Shared letters: dsu. Private to "déçus": çé. Private to "dus": -.

"déçus" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "dus" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

déçus#11,572
dus#9,817

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "déçus" and "dus" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.sy\ versus \dy\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "déçus" or "dus"?
"dus" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,817 in our French list, against #11,572 for "déçus". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering déçus vs dus

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 “déçus” 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