Which to use
“détendez” is a verb and “détenue” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,797
- “détendez” frequency rank
- #15,613
- “détenue” frequency rank
- 48410
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | détendez | détenue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Deuxième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de détendre. | Femme détenue. |
Where the eye mixes détendez and détenue
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. détendez runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against détenue's 7 (CVCVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between détendez and détenue
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: détendez is \de.tɑ̃.de\ while détenue is \de.tə.ny\. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48410, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
détendez is recorded at frequency rank #32,797, classified as averb, pronounced \de.tɑ̃.de\. 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 48410, this pair ranks #179,169 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of détendez vs détenue
Shared letters: denté. Private to "détendez": z. Private to "détenue": u.
"détendez" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "détenue" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "détendez" and "détenue" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "détendez" or "détenue"?
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 "détendez" 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 #179,169 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "détendez" and "détenue" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détendez vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #179,169 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.