Which to use
“déstabilise” and “déstabiliser” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #43,402
- “déstabilise” frequency rank
- #17,689
- “déstabiliser” frequency rank
- 61091
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | déstabilise | déstabiliser |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de déstabiliser. | Rendre instable. |
Where the eye mixes déstabilise and déstabiliser
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. déstabilise runs 11 letters (CVCCVCVCVCV) against déstabiliser's 12 (CVCCVCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: déstabilise vs déstabiliser
A purely visual mix-up. déstabilise (\de.sta.bi.liz\) and déstabiliser (\de.sta.bi.li.ze\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “déstabilise” sits inside “déstabiliser”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61091, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
déstabilise is recorded at frequency rank #43,402, classified as averb, pronounced \de.sta.bi.liz\. déstabiliser is at rank #17,689, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.sta.bi.li.ze\.
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 61091, this pair ranks #94,115 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of déstabilise vs déstabiliser
Shared letters: abdeilsté. Private to "déstabilise": -. Private to "déstabiliser": r.
"déstabilise" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVCV · "déstabiliser" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "déstabilise" for "déstabiliser" ever safe?
Frequency check: "déstabilise" vs "déstabiliser" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "déstabilise" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "déstabiliser" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #94,115 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
Confusion rank #94,115 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.