détruirevsdétruitesConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#2,774
“détruire” frequency rank
#13,777
“détruites” frequency rank
16551
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature détruire détruites
Definition Démolir, ruiner, en parlant d'un édifice, d'une construction. Participe passé féminin pluriel de détruire.

Where the eye mixes détruire and détruites

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

8 ch
détruire
9 ch
détruites

Why the eye confuses détruire with détruites

A purely visual mix-up. détruire (\de.tʁɥiʁ\) and détruites (\de.tʁɥit\) 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 16551, 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\. détruites is at rank #13,777, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tʁɥit\.

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 16551, this pair ranks #387,323 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of détruire vs détruites

Shared letters: deirtué. Private to "détruire": -. Private to "détruites": s.

"détruire" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV  ·  "détruites" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "détruire" and "détruites" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (\de.tʁɥiʁ\ versus \de.tʁɥit\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "détruire" or "détruites"?
"détruire" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,774 in our French list, against #13,777 for "détruites". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "détruire" and "détruites" 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 "détruites" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #387,323 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "détruire" and "détruites" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détruise vs détruites". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #387,323 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list