Which to use
“défiler” and “désoler” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,365
- “défiler” frequency rank
- #39,770
- “désoler” frequency rank
- 52135
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défiler | désoler |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Détacher une chose du fil du cordon où elle était passée. | Transformer en solitude une région, une ville, en y exerçant des ravages. |
Where the eye mixes défiler and désoler
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. défiler and désoler follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between défiler and désoler
A purely visual mix-up. défiler (\de.fi.le\) and désoler (\de.zɔ.le\) 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 52135, 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\. désoler is at rank #39,770, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.zɔ.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 52135, this pair ranks #149,919 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défiler vs désoler
Shared letters: delré. Private to "défiler": fi. Private to "désoler": os.
"défiler" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "désoler" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défiler" for "désoler" ever safe?
Which is more common, "défiler" or "désoler"?
After this comparison
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 "désoler" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #149,919 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défiler" and "désoler" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dénouer vs désoler". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #149,919 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.