Which to use
“défilent” and “détient” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,122
- “défilent” frequency rank
- #7,432
- “détient” frequency rank
- 27554
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défilent | détient |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de défiler. | Troisième personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de détenir. |
Where the eye mixes défilent and détient
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. défilent runs 8 letters (CVCVCVCC) against détient's 7 (CVCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: défilent vs détient
A purely visual mix-up. défilent (\de.fil\) and détient (\de.tjɛ̃\) 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 27554, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défilent is recorded at frequency rank #20,122, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fil\. détient is at rank #7,432, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tjɛ̃\.
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 27554, this pair ranks #328,227 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défilent vs détient
Shared letters: deinté. Private to "défilent": fl. Private to "détient": -.
"défilent" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC · "détient" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "défilent" and "détient" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "défilent" or "détient"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "défilent" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détient" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #328,227 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défilent" and "détient" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défilement vs défilent". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #328,227 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.