détachentvsdétacherWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,389
“détachent” frequency rank
#13,369
“détacher” frequency rank
45758
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature détachent détacher
Definition Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de détacher. Débarrasser d’une tache, de taches.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set détachent and détacher apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
détachent
8 ch
détacher

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. détachent (\de.taʃ\) and détacher (\de.ta.ʃe\) 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 45758, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

détachent is recorded at frequency rank #32,389, classified as averb, pronounced \de.taʃ\. détacher is at rank #13,369, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.ta.ʃe\.

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 45758, this pair ranks #200,259 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of détachent vs détacher

Shared letters: acdehté. Private to "détachent": n. Private to "détacher": r.

"détachent" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC  ·  "détacher" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

détachent#32,389
détacher#13,369

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "détachent" and "détacher" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.taʃ\ versus \de.ta.ʃe\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "détachent" or "détacher"?
"détacher" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,369 in our French list, against #32,389 for "détachent". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering détachent vs détacher

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 “détachent” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list