dénigrevsdénigrerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,731
“dénigre” frequency rank
#23,186
“dénigrer” frequency rank
63917
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dénigre dénigrer
Definition Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de dénigrer. Entacher par son langage quelqu’un dans sa réputation.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dénigre and dénigrer apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
dénigre
8 ch
dénigrer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. dénigre (\de.niɡʁ\) and dénigrer (\de.ni.ɡʁe\) 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 extra letter(s) - “dénigre” sits inside “dénigrer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63917, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dénigre is recorded at frequency rank #40,731, classified as averb, pronounced \de.niɡʁ\. dénigrer is at rank #23,186, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.ni.ɡʁe\.

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 63917, this pair ranks #79,547 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of dénigre vs dénigrer

Shared letters: deginré. Private to "dénigre": -. Private to "dénigrer": -.

"dénigre" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "dénigrer" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

dénigre#40,731
dénigrer#23,186

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dénigre" and "dénigrer" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.niɡʁ\ versus \de.ni.ɡʁe\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dénigre" or "dénigrer"?
"dénigrer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,186 in our French list, against #40,731 for "dénigre". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dénigre vs dénigrer

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 “dénigre” 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