Which to use
“décrits” is an adjective and “détruits” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,574
- “décrits” frequency rank
- #10,694
- “détruits” frequency rank
- 24268
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | décrits | détruits |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Masculin pluriel de décrit. | Participe passé masculin pluriel de détruire. |
Where the eye mixes décrits and détruits
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. décrits runs 7 letters (CVCCVCC) against détruits's 8 (CVCCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses décrits with détruits
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: décrits is \de.kʁi\ while détruits 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 24268, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
décrits is recorded at frequency rank #13,574, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.kʁi\. détruits is at rank #10,694, 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 24268, this pair ranks #347,587 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of décrits vs détruits
Shared letters: dirsté. Private to "décrits": c. Private to "détruits": u.
"décrits" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "détruits" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "décrits" for "détruits" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "décrits" or "détruits" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "décrits" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détruits" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #347,587 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "décrits" and "détruits" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "décents vs décrits". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #347,587 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.