dérapervsdéroberWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“déraper” and “dérober” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#38,772
“déraper” frequency rank
#23,527
“dérober” frequency rank
62299
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature déraper dérober
Definition Quitter prise sur le fond en parlant d’une ancre, ce qui a pour effet de faire dériver le navire. Enlever ou voler en cachette.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set déraper and dérober apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
déraper
7 ch
dérober

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. déraper (\de.ʁa.pe\) and dérober (\de.ʁɔ.be\) 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 62299, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

déraper is recorded at frequency rank #38,772, classified as averb, pronounced \de.ʁa.pe\. dérober is at rank #23,527, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.ʁɔ.be\.

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 62299, this pair ranks #87,851 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of déraper vs dérober

Shared letters: deré. Private to "déraper": ap. Private to "dérober": bo.

"déraper" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "dérober" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

déraper#38,772
dérober#23,527

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "déraper" and "dérober" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.ʁa.pe\ versus \de.ʁɔ.be\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "déraper" or "dérober"?
"dérober" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,527 in our French list, against #38,772 for "déraper". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering déraper vs dérober

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “déraper” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list