Which to use
“dépasse” and “déplaise” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,401
- “dépasse” frequency rank
- #20,430
- “déplaise” frequency rank
- 23831
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dépasse | déplaise |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de dépasser. | Première personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de déplaire. |
Where the eye mixes dépasse and déplaise
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. dépasse runs 7 letters (CVCVCCV) against déplaise's 8 (CVCCVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses dépasse with déplaise
A purely visual mix-up. dépasse (\de.pas\) and déplaise (\de.plɛz\) 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 23831, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dépasse is recorded at frequency rank #3,401, classified as averb, pronounced \de.pas\. déplaise is at rank #20,430, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.plɛz\.
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 23831, this pair ranks #350,214 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dépasse vs déplaise
Shared letters: adepsé. Private to "dépasse": -. Private to "déplaise": il.
"dépasse" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "déplaise" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dépasse" and "déplaise" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "dépasse" vs "déplaise" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "dépasse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "déplaise" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #350,214 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dépasse" and "déplaise" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "déplaise vs déplaisent". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #350,214 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.