Which to use
“défiler” and “délier” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,365
- “défiler” frequency rank
- #44,997
- “délier” frequency rank
- 57362
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défiler | délier |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Détacher une chose du fil du cordon où elle était passée. | Dégager de ce qui lie. |
Where the eye mixes défiler and délier
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. défiler runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against délier's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: défiler vs délier
A purely visual mix-up. défiler (\de.fi.le\) and délier (\de.lje\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57362, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défiler is recorded at frequency rank #12,365, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fi.le\. délier is at rank #44,997, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.lje\.
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 57362, this pair ranks #115,490 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défiler vs délier
Shared letters: deilré. Private to "défiler": f. Private to "délier": -.
"défiler" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "délier" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défiler" for "délier" ever safe?
Which is more common, "défiler" or "délier"?
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 "défiler" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "délier" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #115,490 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défiler" and "délier" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "délier vs déviée". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #115,490 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.