défilervsdévierWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“défiler” and “dévier” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#12,365
“défiler” frequency rank
#22,248
“dévier” frequency rank
34613
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature défiler dévier
Definition Détacher une chose du fil du cordon où elle était passée. Se détourner ; être détourné de sa direction.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set défiler and dévier apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
défiler
6 ch
dévier

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. défiler (\de.fi.le\) and dévier (\de.vje\) 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 34613, 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\. dévier is at rank #22,248, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.vje\.

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 34613, this pair ranks #282,599 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of défiler vs dévier

Shared letters: deiré. Private to "défiler": fl. Private to "dévier": v.

"défiler" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "dévier" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC

Frequency comparison

défiler#12,365
dévier#22,248

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "défiler" and "dévier" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.fi.le\ versus \de.vje\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "défiler" or "dévier"?
"défiler" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,365 in our French list, against #22,248 for "dévier". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering défiler vs dévier

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “défiler” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list