Which to use
“délai” is a noun and “douai” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,711
- “délai” frequency rank
- #16,113
- “douai” frequency rank
- 18824
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | délai | douai |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Temps accordé pour faire une chose, ou à l’expiration duquel on sera tenu de faire une certaine chose. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif passé simple du verbe douer. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set délai and douai apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: délai is \de.lɛ\ while douai is \dwe\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18824, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
délai is recorded at frequency rank #2,711, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.lɛ\. douai is at rank #16,113, tagged as averb, pronounced \dwe\.
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 18824, this pair ranks #376,396 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of délai vs douai
Shared letters: adi. Private to "délai": lé. Private to "douai": ou.
"délai" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "douai" · 5 letters · shape CVVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- douai ← ddouai · doaui · douia · duoai · oduai
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "délai" and "douai" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "délai" or "douai"?
Remembering délai vs douai
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “délai”; for a verb, it's “douai”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “délai” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable