Which to use
“détend” is a verb and “détendue” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,607
- “détend” frequency rank
- #27,419
- “détendue” frequency rank
- 49026
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | détend | détendue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de détendre. | Féminin singulier de détendu. |
Where the eye mixes détend and détendue
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. détend runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against détendue's 8 (CVCVCCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between détend and détendue
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: détend is \de.tɑ̃\ while détendue is \de.tɑ̃.dy\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “détend” sits inside “détendue”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49026, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
détend is recorded at frequency rank #21,607, classified as averb, pronounced \de.tɑ̃\. détendue is at rank #27,419, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.tɑ̃.dy\.
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 49026, this pair ranks #174,078 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of détend vs détendue
Shared letters: denté. Private to "détend": -. Private to "détendue": u.
"détend" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "détendue" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "détend" and "détendue" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "détend" or "détendue"?
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 "détend" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détendue" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #174,078 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "détend" and "détendue" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détendue vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #174,078 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.