Which to use
“décris” is a noun and “détruis” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,189
- “décris” frequency rank
- #42,847
- “détruis” frequency rank
- 67036
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | décris | détruis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de décri. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de détruire. |
Where the eye mixes décris and détruis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. décris runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against détruis's 7 (CVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses décris with détruis
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: décris is \de.kʁi\ while détruis is \de.tʁɥi\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67036, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
décris is recorded at frequency rank #24,189, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.kʁi\. détruis is at rank #42,847, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tʁɥi\.
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 67036, this pair ranks #65,183 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of décris vs détruis
Shared letters: dirsé. Private to "décris": c. Private to "détruis": tu.
"décris" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "détruis" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "décris" for "détruis" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "décris" or "détruis" show up more?
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 "décris" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détruis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #65,183 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "décris" and "détruis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détruis vs détruise". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #65,183 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.