Which to use
“désires” is a verb and “désirs” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,301
- “désires” frequency rank
- #7,819
- “désirs” frequency rank
- 45120
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | désires | désirs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Deuxième personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de désirer. | Pluriel de désir. |
Same sound, different letters: désires vs désirs
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 6 letters. désires runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against désirs's 6 (CVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Homophone desk: désires vs désirs
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: désires and désirs carry the same recorded pronunciation, \de.ziʁ\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is averb, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45120, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
désires is recorded at frequency rank #37,301, classified as averb, pronounced \de.ziʁ\. désirs is at rank #7,819, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.ziʁ\.
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 45120, this pair ranks #205,247 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of désires vs désirs
Shared letters: dirsé. Private to "désires": e. Private to "désirs": -.
"désires" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "désirs" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "désires" and "désirs" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary French text, does "désires" or "désirs" show up more?
After this comparison
You've separated the homophone pair "désires" / "désirs". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "désires" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "désirs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #205,247 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "désires" and "désirs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "désirées vs désires". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #205,247 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.