Which to use
“détecte” is a verb and “détenue” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,821
- “détecte” frequency rank
- #15,613
- “détenue” frequency rank
- 35434
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | détecte | détenue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de détecter. | Femme détenue. |
Where the eye mixes détecte and détenue
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. détecte (CVCVCCV) and détenue (CVCVCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between détecte and détenue
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: détecte is \de.tɛkt\ while détenue is \de.tə.ny\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35434, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
détecte is recorded at frequency rank #19,821, classified as averb, pronounced \de.tɛkt\. détenue is at rank #15,613, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.tə.ny\.
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 35434, this pair ranks #276,791 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of détecte vs détenue
Shared letters: deté. Private to "détecte": c. Private to "détenue": nu.
"détecte" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "détenue" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "détecte" for "détenue" ever safe?
Frequency check: "détecte" vs "détenue" - which ranks higher?
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 "détecte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détenue" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #276,791 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "détecte" and "détenue" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détecte vs détestée". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #276,791 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.