Which to use
“déporter” and “déserter” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,229
- “déporter” frequency rank
- #40,232
- “déserter” frequency rank
- 80461
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | déporter | déserter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Punir de la peine de la déportation, exiler. | Abandonner un lieu, pour quelque cause que ce soit. |
Where the eye mixes déporter and déserter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. déporter and déserter follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses déporter with déserter
A purely visual mix-up. déporter (\de.pɔʁ.te\) and déserter (\de.zɛʁ.te\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80461, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
déporter is recorded at frequency rank #40,229, classified as averb, pronounced \de.pɔʁ.te\. déserter is at rank #40,232, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.zɛʁ.te\.
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 80461, this pair ranks #20,852 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of déporter vs déserter
Shared letters: derté. Private to "déporter": op. Private to "déserter": s.
"déporter" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "déserter" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "déporter" for "déserter" ever safe?
Which is more common, "déporter" or "déserter"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "déporter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "déserter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #20,852 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "déporter" and "déserter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "déserter vs désister". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #20,852 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.