déteste vs détestez, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#2,363
“déteste” frequency rank: #35,005
“détestez” frequency rank: 37368
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch

déteste

8 ch

détestez

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. déteste (\de.tɛst\) and détestez (\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 “détestez”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37368, 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\. détestez is at rank #35,005, 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 37368, this pair ranks #262,970 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of déteste vs détestez

Shared letters: desté. Private to "déteste": -. Private to "détestez": z.

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

Frequency comparison

déteste#2,363

détestez#35,005

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

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

No. They are said differently (\de.tɛst\ versus \de.tɛs.te\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

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

"déteste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,363 in our French list, against #35,005 for "détestez". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering déteste vs détestez

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