déroulervsdévoilerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,956
“dérouler” frequency rank
#9,160
“dévoiler” frequency rank
21116
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dérouler dévoiler
Definition Étendre ce qui était roulé et le mettre de son long. Découvrir ce qui était couvert d’un voile.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dérouler and dévoiler apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
dérouler
8 ch
dévoiler

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

dérouler and dévoiler form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21116, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dérouler is recorded at frequency rank #11,956, classified as averb, pronounced \de.ʁu.le\. dévoiler is at rank #9,160, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.vwa.le\.

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 21116, this pair ranks #364,772 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

dérouler#11,956
dévoiler#9,160

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dérouler" and "dévoiler" be used interchangeably?
No, "dérouler" and "dévoiler" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering dérouler vs dévoiler

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 “dérouler” 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