détienne

\de.tjɛn\

/\de.tjɛn\/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“détienne” is uncommon French (frequency #89,656 among 404,891 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,656
frequency rank, French
404,891
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Première personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de détenir.

Key facts for détienne
PropertyValue
Headworddétienne
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\de.tjɛn\
Letters8
Frequency rank#89,656
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “détienne” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). détienne lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

détienne is uncommon French at frequency #89,656 among 404,891 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed \de.tjɛn\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for détienne, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is détienne, spelled D-É-T-I-E-N-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Première personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de détenir.
  2. 2
    Troisième personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de détenir.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "détienne"?
"détienne" is spelled D-É-T-I-E-N-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is \de.tjɛn\.
What does "détienne" mean?
As a verb, "détienne" means: Première personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de détenir.
How do you pronounce "détienne"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "détienne" is \de.tjɛn\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "détienne" come from?
"détienne" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “détienne”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is D-É-T-I-E-N-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \de.tjɛn\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list