Which to use
“détourné” is an adjective and “détourner” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,560
- “détourné” frequency rank
- #8,842
- “détourner” frequency rank
- 21402
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | détourné | détourner |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Se dit des endroits écartés ou des moyens de communication qui ne sont pas directs. | Éloigner dans une autre direction. |
Same sound, different letters: détourné vs détourner
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 7 letters. détourné runs 8 letters (CVCVVCCV) against détourner's 9 (CVCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Homophone desk: détourné vs détourner
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: détourné and détourner carry the same recorded pronunciation, \de.tuʁ.ne\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadjective, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21402, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
détourné is recorded at frequency rank #12,560, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.tuʁ.ne\. détourner is at rank #8,842, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tuʁ.ne\.
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 21402, this pair ranks #363,333 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of détourné vs détourner
Shared letters: dnortué. Private to "détourné": -. Private to "détourner": e.
"détourné" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCCV · "détourner" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "détourné" for "détourner" ever safe?
Frequency check: "détourné" vs "détourner" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
You've separated the homophone pair "détourné" / "détourner". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "détourné" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détourner" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #363,333 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "détourné" and "détourner" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dédouaner vs détourner". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #363,333 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.