Which to use
“détériore” and “détériorer” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,007
- “détériore” frequency rank
- #32,391
- “détériorer” frequency rank
- 67398
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | détériore | détériorer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de détériorer. | Mettre en mauvais état. |
Where the eye mixes détériore and détériorer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. détériore runs 9 letters (CVCVCVVCV) against détériorer's 10 (CVCVCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: détériore vs détériorer
A purely visual mix-up. détériore (\de.te.ʁjɔʁ\) and détériorer (\de.te.ʁjɔ.ʁe\) 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 extra letter(s) - “détériore” sits inside “détériorer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67398, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
détériore is recorded at frequency rank #35,007, classified as averb, pronounced \de.te.ʁjɔʁ\. détériorer is at rank #32,391, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.te.ʁjɔ.ʁe\.
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 67398, this pair ranks #63,603 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of détériore vs détériorer
Shared letters: deiorté. Private to "détériore": -. Private to "détériorer": -.
"détériore" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVVCV · "détériorer" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "détériore" and "détériorer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "détériore" or "détériorer"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "détériore" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détériorer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #63,603 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "détériore" and "détériorer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détériorer vs déterrer". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #63,603 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.