déteste vs détestes, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#2,363
“déteste” frequency rank: #26,343
“détestes” frequency rank: 28706
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	déteste	détestes
Definition	Première personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de détester.	Deuxième personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de détester.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set déteste and détestes apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch

déteste

8 ch

détestes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. déteste and détestes are pronounced identically (\de.tɛst\) and both work as averb. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “déteste” sits inside “détestes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28706, 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\. détestes is at rank #26,343, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tɛst\.

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 28706, this pair ranks #321,190 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of déteste vs détestes

Shared letters: desté. Private to "déteste": -. Private to "détestes": -.

"déteste" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "détestes" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

déteste#2,363

détestes#26,343

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "déteste" and "détestes" be used interchangeably?

No. They are pronounced the same (\de.tɛst\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.

Which is more common, "déteste" or "détestes"?

"déteste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,363 in our French list, against #26,343 for "détestes". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering déteste vs détestes

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “déteste” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable