détester vs détestez, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#10,863
“détester” frequency rank: #35,005
“détestez” frequency rank: 45868
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	détester	détestez
Definition	Maudire.	Deuxième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de détester.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch

détester

8 ch

détestez

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. détester and détestez are pronounced identically (\de.tɛs.te\) 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 a single letter - r in “détester” becomes z in “détestez”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45868, 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\. 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 45868, this pair ranks #199,412 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of détester vs détestez

Shared letters: desté. Private to "détester": r. Private to "détestez": z.

"détester" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "détestez" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

détester#10,863

détestez#35,005

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

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

No. They are pronounced the same (\de.tɛs.te\), 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, "détester" or "détestez"?

"détester" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,863 in our French list, against #35,005 for "détestez". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering détester 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 “détester” entry
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