dégagervsdéraperWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,751
“dégager” frequency rank
#38,772
“déraper” frequency rank
44523
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dégager déraper
Definition Rendre à quelqu’un sa parole, ne pas exiger qu’il tienne sa promesse, l’affranchir de la responsabilité à laquelle il était tenu. Quitter prise sur le fond en parlant d’une ancre, ce qui a pour effet de faire dériver le navire.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
dégager
7 ch
déraper

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. dégager (\de.ɡa.ʒe\) and déraper (\de.ʁa.pe\) 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 44523, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dégager is recorded at frequency rank #5,751, classified as averb, pronounced \de.ɡa.ʒe\. déraper is at rank #38,772, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.ʁa.pe\.

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 44523, this pair ranks #209,846 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dégager vs déraper

Shared letters: aderé. Private to "dégager": g. Private to "déraper": p.

"dégager" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "déraper" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

dégager#5,751
déraper#38,772

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dégager" and "déraper" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.ɡa.ʒe\ versus \de.ʁa.pe\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dégager" or "déraper"?
"dégager" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,751 in our French list, against #38,772 for "déraper". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dégager vs déraper

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 “dégager” 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