deuilvsdevilsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,652
“deuil” frequency rank
#24,930
“devils” frequency rank
30582
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature deuil devils
Definition Affliction, douleur qu’on éprouve lors du décès de quelqu’un, ou suite à une autre perte importante. Pluriel de devil.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set deuil and devils apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
deuil
6 ch
devils

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

deuil and devils form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30582, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

deuil is recorded at frequency rank #5,652, classified as anoun, pronounced \dœj\. devils is at rank #24,930, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈdɛv.əlz\.

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 30582, this pair ranks #309,333 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

deuil#5,652
devils#24,930

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "deuil" and "devils" be used interchangeably?
No, "deuil" and "devils" 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 deuil vs devils

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 “deuil” 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