Which to use
“déplaire” and “déplore” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,299
- “déplaire” frequency rank
- #13,162
- “déplore” frequency rank
- 34461
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | déplaire | déplore |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Être désagréable, en parlant des personnes. | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de déplorer. |
Where the eye mixes déplaire and déplore
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. déplaire runs 8 letters (CVCCVVCV) against déplore's 7 (CVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: déplaire vs déplore
A purely visual mix-up. déplaire (\de.plɛʁ\) and déplore (\de.plɔʁ\) 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 34461, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
déplaire is recorded at frequency rank #21,299, classified as averb, pronounced \de.plɛʁ\. déplore is at rank #13,162, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.plɔʁ\.
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 34461, this pair ranks #283,660 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of déplaire vs déplore
Shared letters: delpré. Private to "déplaire": ai. Private to "déplore": o.
"déplaire" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV · "déplore" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "déplaire" for "déplore" ever safe?
Which is more common, "déplaire" or "déplore"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "déplaire" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "déplore" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #283,660 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "déplaire" and "déplore" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "declare vs déplaire". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #283,660 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.