décrit vs détruit, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“décrit” is an adjective and “détruit” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,516
“décrit” frequency rank: #2,875
“détruit” frequency rank: 5391
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	décrit	détruit
Definition	Dépeint, exprimé oralement ou par écrit.	Participe passé masculin singulier de détruire.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch

décrit

7 ch

détruit

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: décrit is \de.kʁi\ while détruit 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5391, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

décrit is recorded at frequency rank #2,516, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.kʁi\. détruit is at rank #2,875, 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 5391, this pair ranks #429,138 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of décrit vs détruit

Shared letters: dirté. Private to "décrit": c. Private to "détruit": u.

"décrit" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "détruit" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Frequency comparison

décrit#2,516

détruit#2,875

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "décrit" and "détruit" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "décrit" is an adjective and "détruit" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "décrit" or "détruit"?

"décrit" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,516 in our French list, against #2,875 for "détruit". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering décrit vs détruit

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “décrit”; for a verb, it's “détruit”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “décrit” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable