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. |
Same sound, different letters: déteste vs détestes
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 7 letters. déteste runs 7 letters (CVCVCCV) against détestes's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Ear matches; page differs - déteste and détestes
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "déteste" and "détestes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "déteste" or "détestes"?
Useful next steps
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "déteste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détestes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #321,190 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "déteste" and "détestes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détestée vs détestes". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #321,190 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.