Which to use
“déjeune” is a verb and “déjeuner” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #34,071
- “déjeune” frequency rank
- #2,710
- “déjeuner” frequency rank
- 36781
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | déjeune | déjeuner |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de déjeuner. | Repas de midi. Repas du matin. |
Where the eye mixes déjeune and déjeuner
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. déjeune runs 7 letters (CVCVVCV) against déjeuner's 8 (CVCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between déjeune and déjeuner
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: déjeune is \de.ʒœn\ while déjeuner is \de.ʒœ.ne\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “déjeune” sits inside “déjeuner”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36781, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
déjeune is recorded at frequency rank #34,071, classified as averb, pronounced \de.ʒœn\. déjeuner is at rank #2,710, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.ʒœ.ne\.
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 36781, this pair ranks #267,183 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of déjeune vs déjeuner
Shared letters: dejnué. Private to "déjeune": -. Private to "déjeuner": r.
"déjeune" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV · "déjeuner" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "déjeune" for "déjeuner" ever safe?
Frequency check: "déjeune" vs "déjeuner" - 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 "déjeune" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "déjeuner" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #267,183 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "déjeune" and "déjeuner" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "décerne vs déjeune". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #267,183 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.