Which to use
“déteste” and “détester” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,363
- “déteste” frequency rank
- #10,863
- “détester” frequency rank
- 13226
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | déteste | détester |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de détester. | Maudire. |
Where the eye mixes déteste and détester
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: déteste vs détester
A purely visual mix-up. déteste (\de.tɛst\) and détester (\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 differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “déteste” sits inside “détester”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13226, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
déteste is recorded at frequency rank #2,363, classified as averb, pronounced \de.tɛst\. détester is at rank #10,863, 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 13226, this pair ranks #401,894 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of déteste vs détester
Shared letters: desté. Private to "déteste": -. Private to "détester": r.
"déteste" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "détester" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "déteste" for "détester" ever safe?
Which is more common, "déteste" or "détester"?
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 "déteste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détester" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #401,894 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "déteste" and "détester" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "désister vs détester". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #401,894 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.