Which to use
“dérive” and “dérives” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,052
- “dérive” frequency rank
- #11,395
- “dérives” frequency rank
- 18447
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dérive | dérives |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Écart, déviation entre le cap effectivement suivi par un navire ou un aéroplane et le cap initialement fixé. | Pluriel de dérive. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dérive and dérives apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
This is the hard kind. dérive and dérives are pronounced identically (\de.ʁiv\) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “dérive” sits inside “dérives”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18447, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dérive is recorded at frequency rank #7,052, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.ʁiv\. dérives is at rank #11,395, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.ʁiv\.
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 18447, this pair ranks #378,264 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dérive vs dérives
Shared letters: deirvé. Private to "dérive": -. Private to "dérives": s.
"dérive" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "dérives" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dérive" and "dérives" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dérive" or "dérives"?
Remembering dérive vs dérives
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 “dérive” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable