délicesvsdélitsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,428
“délices” frequency rank
#9,818
“délits” frequency rank
30246
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature délices délits
Definition Plaisir extrême. Pluriel de délit.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
délices
6 ch
délits

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. délices (\de.lis\) and délits (\de.li\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30246, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

délices is recorded at frequency rank #20,428, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.lis\. délits is at rank #9,818, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.li\.

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 30246, this pair ranks #311,610 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of délices vs délits

Shared letters: dilsé. Private to "délices": ce. Private to "délits": t.

"délices" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "délits" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Frequency comparison

délices#20,428
délits#9,818

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "délices" and "délits" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.lis\ versus \de.li\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "délices" or "délits"?
"délits" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,818 in our French list, against #20,428 for "délices". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering délices vs délits

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 “délices” 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