défilésvsdélicesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,266
“défilés” frequency rank
#20,428
“délices” frequency rank
39694
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature défilés délices
Definition Pluriel de défilé. Plaisir extrême.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set défilés and délices apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
défilés
7 ch
délices

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. défilés (\de.fi.le\) and délices (\de.lis\) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39694, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

défilés is recorded at frequency rank #19,266, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.fi.le\. délices is at rank #20,428, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.lis\.

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 39694, this pair ranks #246,083 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of défilés vs délices

Shared letters: dilsé. Private to "défilés": f. Private to "délices": ce.

"défilés" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "délices" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

défilés#19,266
délices#20,428

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "défilés" and "délices" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.fi.le\ versus \de.lis\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "défilés" or "délices"?
"défilés" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,266 in our French list, against #20,428 for "délices". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering défilés vs délices

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 “défilés” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list