Which to use
“dépends” and “détends” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,416
- “dépends” frequency rank
- #40,734
- “détends” frequency rank
- 68150
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dépends | détends |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de dépendre. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de détendre. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dépends and détends apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. dépends (\de.pɑ̃\) and détends (\de.tɑ̃\) 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 a single letter - p in “dépends” becomes t in “détends”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68150, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dépends is recorded at frequency rank #27,416, classified as averb, pronounced \de.pɑ̃\. détends is at rank #40,734, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tɑ̃\.
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 68150, this pair ranks #60,339 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of dépends vs détends
Shared letters: densé. Private to "dépends": p. Private to "détends": t.
"dépends" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC · "détends" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dépends" and "détends" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dépends" or "détends"?
Remembering dépends vs détends
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dépends” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable