déplaçant vs déplaisant, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“déplaçant” is a verb and “déplaisant” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#21,925
“déplaçant” frequency rank: #40,228
“déplaisant” frequency rank: 62153
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	déplaçant	déplaisant
Definition	Participe présent de déplacer.	Qui déplaît ou qui est de nature à déplaire.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set déplaçant and déplaisant apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch

déplaçant

10 ch

déplaisant

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: déplaçant is \de.pla.sɑ̃\ while déplaisant is \de.plɛ.zɑ̃\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62153, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

déplaçant is recorded at frequency rank #21,925, classified as averb, pronounced \de.pla.sɑ̃\. déplaisant is at rank #40,228, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.plɛ.zɑ̃\.

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 62153, this pair ranks #88,588 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of déplaçant vs déplaisant

Shared letters: adlnpté. Private to "déplaçant": ç. Private to "déplaisant": is.

"déplaçant" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC · "déplaisant" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCC

Frequency comparison

déplaçant#21,925

déplaisant#40,228

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "déplaçant" and "déplaisant" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "déplaçant" is a verb and "déplaisant" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "déplaçant" or "déplaisant"?

"déplaçant" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,925 in our French list, against #40,228 for "déplaisant". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering déplaçant vs déplaisant

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “déplaçant”; for an adjective, it's “déplaisant”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “déplaçant” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable