Which to use
“déjouer” and “dénouer” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,548
- “déjouer” frequency rank
- #39,273
- “dénouer” frequency rank
- 61821
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | déjouer | dénouer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Faire échouer le jeu de quelqu’un. | Défaire ce qui forme un nœud, ce qui est noué, ou ce qui est retenu par un nœud. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set déjouer and dénouer apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
déjouer and dénouer form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - j in “déjouer” becomes n in “dénouer” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61821, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
déjouer is recorded at frequency rank #22,548, classified as averb, pronounced \de.ʒwe\. dénouer is at rank #39,273, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.nwe\.
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 61821, this pair ranks #90,235 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "déjouer" and "dénouer" be used interchangeably?
Remembering déjouer vs dénouer
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 “déjouer” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable