Which to use
“détendre” and “détends” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,538
- “détendre” frequency rank
- #40,734
- “détends” frequency rank
- 49272
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | détendre | détends |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Relâcher ce qui était tendu. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de détendre. |
Where the eye mixes détendre and détends
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. détendre runs 8 letters (CVCVCCCV) against détends's 7 (CVCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: détendre vs détends
A purely visual mix-up. détendre (\de.tɑ̃dʁ\) and détends (\de.tɑ̃\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49272, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
détendre is recorded at frequency rank #8,538, classified as averb, pronounced \de.tɑ̃dʁ\. détends is at rank #40,734, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tɑ̃\.
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 49272, this pair ranks #172,014 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of détendre vs détends
Shared letters: denté. Private to "détendre": r. Private to "détends": s.
"détendre" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV · "détends" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "détendre" and "détends" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "détendre" or "détends"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "détendre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détends" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #172,014 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "détendre" and "détends" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détends vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #172,014 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.