Which to use
“délais” is a noun and “délaisse” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,551
- “délais” frequency rank
- #30,995
- “délaisse” frequency rank
- 36546
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | délais | délaisse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de délai. | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de délaisser. |
Where the eye mixes délais and délaisse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. délais runs 6 letters (CVCVVC) against délaisse's 8 (CVCVVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses délais with délaisse
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: délais is \de.lɛ\ while délaisse is \de.lɛs\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “délais” sits inside “délaisse”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36546, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
délais is recorded at frequency rank #5,551, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.lɛ\. délaisse is at rank #30,995, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.lɛs\.
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 36546, this pair ranks #268,871 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of délais vs délaisse
Shared letters: adilsé. Private to "délais": -. Private to "délaisse": e.
"délais" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "délaisse" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "délais" and "délaisse" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "délais" or "délaisse"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "délais" and "délaisse" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "délais" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "délaisse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #268,871 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "délais" and "délaisse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "délaisse vs délaissées". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #268,871 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.