désirantvsdévorantWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,820
“désirant” frequency rank
#45,006
“dévorant” frequency rank
64826
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature désirant dévorant
Definition Qui désire. Qui dévore.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
désirant
8 ch
dévorant

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. désirant (\de.zi.ʁɑ̃\) and dévorant (\de.vɔ.ʁɑ̃\) 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 64826, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

désirant is recorded at frequency rank #19,820, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.zi.ʁɑ̃\. dévorant is at rank #45,006, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.vɔ.ʁɑ̃\.

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 64826, this pair ranks #75,152 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of désirant vs dévorant

Shared letters: adnrté. Private to "désirant": is. Private to "dévorant": ov.

"désirant" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC  ·  "dévorant" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC

Frequency comparison

désirant#19,820
dévorant#45,006

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "désirant" and "dévorant" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.zi.ʁɑ̃\ versus \de.vɔ.ʁɑ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "désirant" or "dévorant"?
"désirant" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,820 in our French list, against #45,006 for "dévorant". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering désirant vs dévorant

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 “désirant” 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