Which to use
“défiler” is a verb and “denier” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,365
- “défiler” frequency rank
- #34,056
- “denier” frequency rank
- 46421
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défiler | denier |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Détacher une chose du fil du cordon où elle était passée. | Monnaie romaine d’argent qui, jusqu’à l’an 536 de Rome, valait dix as et plus tard seize. |
Where the eye mixes défiler and denier
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. défiler runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against denier's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: défiler vs denier
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: défiler is \de.fi.le\ while denier is \də.nje\. 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 46421, 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\. denier is at rank #34,056, tagged as anoun, pronounced \də.nje\.
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 46421, this pair ranks #195,076 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défiler vs denier
Shared letters: deir. Private to "défiler": flé. Private to "denier": n.
"défiler" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "denier" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- denier ← ddenier · deiner · deneir · denierr · denire · dennier · dneier · ednier
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "défiler" and "denier" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "défiler" or "denier"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "défiler" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "denier" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #195,076 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défiler" and "denier" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "denier vs denim". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #195,076 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.