détendezvsdétestezWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,797
“détendez” frequency rank
#35,005
“détestez” frequency rank
67802
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature détendez détestez
Definition Deuxième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de détendre. Deuxième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de détester.

Where the eye mixes détendez and détestez

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. détendez and détestez follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

8 ch
détendez
8 ch
détestez

Visual trap between détendez and détestez

A purely visual mix-up. détendez (\de.tɑ̃.de\) and détestez (\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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67802, 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\. détestez is at rank #35,005, 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 67802, this pair ranks #61,854 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of détendez vs détestez

Shared letters: detzé. Private to "détendez": n. Private to "détestez": s.

"détendez" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "détestez" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "détendez" and "détestez" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (\de.tɑ̃.de\ versus \de.tɛs.te\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "détendez" or "détestez"?
"détendez" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,797 in our French list, against #35,005 for "détestez". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "détestez" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #61,854 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "détendez" and "détestez" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détendez vs détendus". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #61,854 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