diffèrevsdigèreWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,352
“diffère” frequency rank
#34,059
“digère” frequency rank
46411
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature diffère digère
Definition Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de différer. Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de digérer.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set diffère and digère apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
diffère
6 ch
digère

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. diffère (\di.fɛʁ\) and digère (\di.ʒɛʁ\) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46411, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

diffère is recorded at frequency rank #12,352, classified as averb, pronounced \di.fɛʁ\. digère is at rank #34,059, tagged as averb, pronounced \di.ʒɛʁ\.

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 46411, this pair ranks #195,166 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of diffère vs digère

Shared letters: deirè. Private to "diffère": f. Private to "digère": g.

"diffère" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "digère" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Frequency comparison

diffère#12,352
digère#34,059

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "diffère" and "digère" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\di.fɛʁ\ versus \di.ʒɛʁ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "diffère" or "digère"?
"diffère" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,352 in our French list, against #34,059 for "digère". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering diffère vs digère

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 “diffère” 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