Which to use
“détruire” and “détruise” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,774
- “détruire” frequency rank
- #43,909
- “détruise” frequency rank
- 46683
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | détruire | détruise |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Démolir, ruiner, en parlant d'un édifice, d'une construction. | Première personne du singulier du présent du subjonctif de détruire. |
Where the eye mixes détruire and détruise
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. détruire and détruise follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between détruire and détruise
A purely visual mix-up. détruire (\de.tʁɥiʁ\) and détruise (\de.tʁɥiz\) 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 “détruire” becomes s in “détruise”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46683, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
détruire is recorded at frequency rank #2,774, classified as averb, pronounced \de.tʁɥiʁ\. détruise is at rank #43,909, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tʁɥiz\.
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 46683, this pair ranks #192,966 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of détruire vs détruise
Shared letters: deirtué. Private to "détruire": -. Private to "détruise": s.
"détruire" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV · "détruise" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "détruire" for "détruise" ever safe?
Frequency check: "détruire" vs "détruise" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "détruire" and "détruise" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "détruire" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détruise" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #192,966 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "détruire" and "détruise" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détruis vs détruise". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #192,966 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.