dégagéesvsdégradéesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#31,937
“dégagées” frequency rank
#33,657
“dégradées” frequency rank
65594
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dégagées dégradées
Definition Féminin pluriel de dégagé. Féminin pluriel de dégradé.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dégagées and dégradées apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
dégagées
9 ch
dégradées

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. dégagées (\de.ɡa.ʒe\) and dégradées (\de.ɡʁa.de\) 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 65594, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dégagées is recorded at frequency rank #31,937, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.ɡa.ʒe\. dégradées is at rank #33,657, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.ɡʁa.de\.

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 65594, this pair ranks #71,630 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of dégagées vs dégradées

Shared letters: adegsé. Private to "dégagées": -. Private to "dégradées": r.

"dégagées" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC  ·  "dégradées" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVVC

Frequency comparison

dégagées#31,937
dégradées#33,657

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dégagées" and "dégradées" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.ɡa.ʒe\ versus \de.ɡʁa.de\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dégagées" or "dégradées"?
"dégagées" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,937 in our French list, against #33,657 for "dégradées". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dégagées vs dégradées

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 “dégagées” 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