détectevsdétesterWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#19,821
“détecte” frequency rank
#10,863
“détester” frequency rank
30684
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature détecte détester
Definition Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de détecter. Maudire.

Where the eye mixes détecte and détester

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

7 ch
détecte
8 ch
détester

Look-alike desk: détecte vs détester

A purely visual mix-up. détecte (\de.tɛkt\) and détester (\de.tɛs.te\) 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 30684, 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\. détester is at rank #10,863, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tɛs.te\.

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 30684, this pair ranks #308,637 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of détecte vs détester

Shared letters: deté. Private to "détecte": c. Private to "détester": rs.

"détecte" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "détester" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "détecte" and "détester" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (\de.tɛkt\ versus \de.tɛs.te\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "détecte" vs "détester" - which ranks higher?
"détester" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,863 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.

After this comparison

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 "détester" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #308,637 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "détecte" and "détester" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détecte vs détestée". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #308,637 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