Which to use
“détours” is a noun and “détruis” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,566
- “détours” frequency rank
- #42,847
- “détruis” frequency rank
- 67413
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | détours | détruis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de détour. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de détruire. |
Where the eye mixes détours and détruis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. détours (CVCVVCC) and détruis (CVCCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: détours vs détruis
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: détours is \de.tuʁ\ while détruis is \de.tʁɥi\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67413, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
détours is recorded at frequency rank #24,566, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.tuʁ\. détruis is at rank #42,847, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tʁɥi\.
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 67413, this pair ranks #63,541 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of détours vs détruis
Shared letters: drstué. Private to "détours": o. Private to "détruis": i.
"détours" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC · "détruis" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "détours" for "détruis" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "détours" or "détruis" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "détours" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détruis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #63,541 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "détours" and "détruis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détruis vs détruise". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #63,541 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.