Which to use
“dépêcher” is a verb and “dépêches” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,981
- “dépêcher” frequency rank
- #25,982
- “dépêches” frequency rank
- 51963
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dépêcher | dépêches |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Envoyer quelqu’un en hâte avec des ordres, une commission. | Pluriel de dépêche. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dépêcher and dépêches apart are highlighted. They share 7 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: dépêcher is \de.pe.ʃe\ while dépêches is \de.pɛʃ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - r in “dépêcher” becomes s in “dépêches”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51963, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dépêcher is recorded at frequency rank #25,981, classified as averb, pronounced \de.pe.ʃe\. dépêches is at rank #25,982, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.pɛʃ\.
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 51963, this pair ranks #151,136 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dépêcher vs dépêches
Shared letters: cdehpéê. Private to "dépêcher": r. Private to "dépêches": s.
"dépêcher" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "dépêches" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dépêcher" and "dépêches" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dépêcher" or "dépêches"?
Remembering dépêcher vs dépêches
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “dépêcher”; for a noun, it's “dépêches”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dépêcher” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable