Which to use
“détection” and “détention” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,988
- “détection” frequency rank
- #5,552
- “détention” frequency rank
- 15540
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | détection | détention |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Action de détecter un objet, un corps ou une substance à l’aide d’un appareil. | Action de détenir une chose sans en être ni s’en prétendre le possesseur. |
Where the eye mixes détection and détention
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. détection and détention follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses détection with détention
A purely visual mix-up. détection (\de.tɛk.sjɔ̃\) and détention (\de.tɑ̃.sjɔ̃\) 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 a single letter - c in “détection” becomes n in “détention”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15540, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
détection is recorded at frequency rank #9,988, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.tɛk.sjɔ̃\. détention is at rank #5,552, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.tɑ̃.sjɔ̃\.
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 15540, this pair ranks #391,904 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of détection vs détention
Shared letters: deinoté. Private to "détection": c. Private to "détention": -.
"détection" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC · "détention" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "détection" and "détention" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "détection" vs "détention" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "détection" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détention" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #391,904 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "détection" and "détention" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défections vs détection". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #391,904 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.