Which to use
“détester” and “détestes” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,863
- “détester” frequency rank
- #26,343
- “détestes” frequency rank
- 37206
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | détester | détestes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Maudire. | Deuxième personne du singulier du présent de l’indicatif de détester. |
Where the eye mixes détester and détestes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. détester and détestes follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between détester and détestes
A purely visual mix-up. détester (\de.tɛs.te\) and détestes (\de.tɛst\) 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 a single letter - r in “détester” becomes s in “détestes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37206, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
détester is recorded at frequency rank #10,863, classified as averb, pronounced \de.tɛs.te\. 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 37206, this pair ranks #264,124 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of détester vs détestes
Shared letters: desté. Private to "détester": r. Private to "détestes": -.
"détester" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "détestes" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "détester" for "détestes" ever safe?
Frequency check: "détester" vs "détestes" - which ranks higher?
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 "détester" 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 #264,124 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "détester" and "détestes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détestée vs détestes". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #264,124 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.