Which to use
“détruire” and “détruit” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,774
- “détruire” frequency rank
- #2,875
- “détruit” frequency rank
- 5649
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | détruire | détruit |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Démolir, ruiner, en parlant d'un édifice, d'une construction. | Participe passé masculin singulier de détruire. |
Where the eye mixes détruire and détruit
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. détruire runs 8 letters (CVCCVVCV) against détruit's 7 (CVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses détruire with détruit
A purely visual mix-up. détruire (\de.tʁɥiʁ\) and détruit (\de.tʁɥi\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5649, 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\. détruit is at rank #2,875, 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 5649, this pair ranks #428,433 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of détruire vs détruit
Shared letters: dirtué. Private to "détruire": e. Private to "détruit": -.
"détruire" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV · "détruit" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "détruire" and "détruit" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "détruire" or "détruit"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "détruire" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détruit" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #428,433 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "détruire" and "détruit" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détruise vs détruit". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #428,433 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.