Which to use
“détenu” and “détenues” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,556
- “détenu” frequency rank
- #19,822
- “détenues” frequency rank
- 27378
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | détenu | détenues |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui est en état de détention, qui est prisonnier. | Féminin pluriel de détenu. |
Where the eye mixes détenu and détenues
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. détenu runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against détenues's 8 (CVCVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between détenu and détenues
A purely visual mix-up. détenu (\det.ny\) and détenues (\de.tə.ny\) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “détenu” sits inside “détenues”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27378, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
détenu is recorded at frequency rank #7,556, classified as anadj, pronounced \det.ny\. détenues is at rank #19,822, tagged as anadj, 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 27378, this pair ranks #329,356 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of détenu vs détenues
Shared letters: dentué. Private to "détenu": -. Private to "détenues": s.
"détenu" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "détenues" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "détenu" and "détenues" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary French text, does "détenu" or "détenues" show up more?
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 "détenu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détenues" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #329,356 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "détenu" and "détenues" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détendus vs détenues". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #329,356 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.