Which to use
“dédouaner” and “détourner” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,043
- “dédouaner” frequency rank
- #8,842
- “détourner” frequency rank
- 57885
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dédouaner | détourner |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Compléter avec succès les formalités nécessaires aux douanes pour entrer dans un pays ou y faire entrer des biens ; payer les droits de douane pour pouvoir disposer d’une marchandise importée. | Éloigner dans une autre direction. |
Where the eye mixes dédouaner and détourner
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. dédouaner (CVCVVVCVC) and détourner (CVCVVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses dédouaner with détourner
A purely visual mix-up. dédouaner (\de.dwa.ne\) and détourner (\de.tuʁ.ne\) 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 57885, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dédouaner is recorded at frequency rank #49,043, classified as averb, pronounced \de.dwa.ne\. détourner is at rank #8,842, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tuʁ.ne\.
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 57885, this pair ranks #112,359 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dédouaner vs détourner
Shared letters: denorué. Private to "dédouaner": a. Private to "détourner": t.
"dédouaner" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVVCVC · "détourner" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "dédouaner" and "détourner" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "dédouaner" vs "détourner" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "dédouaner" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détourner" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #112,359 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dédouaner" and "détourner" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détournées vs détourner". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #112,359 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.