détachevsdétecteWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“détache” and “détecte” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#14,665
“détache” frequency rank
#19,821
“détecte” frequency rank
34486
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature détache détecte
Definition Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de détacher. Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de détecter.

Where the eye mixes détache and détecte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. détache and détecte follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

7 ch
détache
7 ch
détecte

Look-alike desk: détache vs détecte

A purely visual mix-up. détache (\de.taʃ\) and détecte (\de.tɛkt\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34486, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

détache is recorded at frequency rank #14,665, classified as averb, pronounced \de.taʃ\. détecte is at rank #19,821, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tɛkt\.

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 34486, this pair ranks #283,505 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of détache vs détecte

Shared letters: cdeté. Private to "détache": ah. Private to "détecte": -.

"détache" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "détecte" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "détache" for "détecte" ever safe?
No. They are said differently (\de.taʃ\ versus \de.tɛkt\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "détache" or "détecte"?
"détache" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,665 in our French list, against #19,821 for "détecte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "détache" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "détecte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #283,505 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "détache" and "détecte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détecte vs détestée". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #283,505 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list