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 eye mixes défiler and dévier
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. défiler runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against dévier's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses défiler with dévier
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "défiler" and "dévier" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "défiler" vs "dévier" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
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 "dévier" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #282,599 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défiler" and "dévier" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dévier vs devins". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #282,599 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.