Which to use
“déféré” is a verb and “degré” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,775
- “déféré” frequency rank
- #2,871
- “degré” frequency rank
- 40646
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | déféré | degré |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Participe passé masculin singulier de déférer. | Espace compris entre deux marches d’un escalier. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set déféré and degré apart are highlighted. They share 3 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: déféré is \de.fe.ʁe\ while degré is \də.ɡʁe\. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40646, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
déféré is recorded at frequency rank #37,775, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fe.ʁe\. degré is at rank #2,871, tagged as anoun, pronounced \də.ɡʁe\.
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 40646, this pair ranks #239,012 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of déféré vs degré
Shared letters: dré. Private to "déféré": f. Private to "degré": eg.
"déféré" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "degré" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "déféré" and "degré" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "déféré" or "degré"?
Remembering déféré vs degré
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “déféré”; for a noun, it's “degré”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “déféré” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable