Which to use
“dernier” is an adjective and “derrière” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #279
- “dernier” frequency rank
- #564
- “derrière” frequency rank
- 843
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dernier | derrière |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dans un ensemble trié, l’élément qui arrive après tous les autres. | En arrière ou du côté opposé à la face. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dernier and derrière apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dernier is \dɛʁ.nje\ while derrière is \dɛ.ʁjɛʁ\. 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 (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 843, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dernier is recorded at frequency rank #279, classified as anadj, pronounced \dɛʁ.nje\. derrière is at rank #564, tagged as anadv, pronounced \dɛ.ʁjɛʁ\.
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 843, this pair ranks #439,035 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dernier vs derrière
Shared letters: deir. Private to "dernier": n. Private to "derrière": è.
"dernier" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC · "derrière" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- dernier ← ddernier · denrier · deriner · derneir · dernierr · dernire · dernnier · derrnier
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dernier" and "derrière" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dernier" or "derrière"?
Remembering dernier vs derrière
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “dernier”; for an adverb, it's “derrière”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dernier” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable