Which to use
“détectées” is a verb and “détectives” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #39,276
- “détectées” frequency rank
- #29,751
- “détectives” frequency rank
- 69027
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | détectées | détectives |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Participe passé féminin pluriel de détecter. | Féminin pluriel de détectif. |
Where the eye mixes détectées and détectives
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. détectées runs 9 letters (CVCVCCVVC) against détectives's 10 (CVCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between détectées and détectives
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: détectées is \de.tɛk.te\ while détectives is \de.tɛk.tiv\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69027, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
détectées is recorded at frequency rank #39,276, classified as averb, pronounced \de.tɛk.te\. détectives is at rank #29,751, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.tɛk.tiv\.
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 69027, this pair ranks #56,772 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of détectées vs détectives
Shared letters: cdesté. Private to "détectées": -. Private to "détectives": iv.
"détectées" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC · "détectives" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "détectées" for "détectives" ever safe?
Frequency check: "détectées" vs "détectives" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "détectées" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détectives" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #56,772 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "détectées" and "détectives" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détectées vs détestée". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #56,772 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.