Which to use
“défilé” is a noun and “défiler” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,498
- “défilé” frequency rank
- #12,365
- “défiler” frequency rank
- 18863
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défilé | défiler |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Passage étroit où il ne peut passer que peu de personnes de front. | Détacher une chose du fil du cordon où elle était passée. |
Same sound, different letters: défilé vs défiler
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 5 letters. défilé runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against défiler's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Same sound, different spelling - défilé / défiler
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: défilé and défiler carry the same recorded pronunciation, \de.fi.le\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18863, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défilé is recorded at frequency rank #6,498, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.fi.le\. défiler is at rank #12,365, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.fi.le\.
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 18863, this pair ranks #376,206 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of défilé vs défiler
Shared letters: dfilé. Private to "défilé": -. Private to "défiler": er.
"défilé" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "défiler" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "défilé" and "défiler" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "défilé" vs "défiler" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
You've separated the homophone pair "défilé" / "défiler". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "défilé" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défiler" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #376,206 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défilé" and "défiler" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défiler vs délier". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #376,206 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.