Which to use
“détruis” and “détruisit” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,847
- “détruis” frequency rank
- #39,772
- “détruisit” frequency rank
- 82619
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | détruis | détruisit |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de détruire. | Troisième personne du singulier du passé simple de détruire. |
Where the eye mixes détruis and détruisit
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. détruis runs 7 letters (CVCCVVC) against détruisit's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between détruis and détruisit
A purely visual mix-up. détruis (\de.tʁɥi\) and détruisit (\de.tʁɥi.zi\) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “détruis” sits inside “détruisit”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 82619, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
détruis is recorded at frequency rank #42,847, classified as averb, pronounced \de.tʁɥi\. détruisit is at rank #39,772, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tʁɥi.zi\.
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 82619, this pair ranks #16,355 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of détruis vs détruisit
Shared letters: dirstué. Private to "détruis": -. Private to "détruisit": -.
"détruis" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC · "détruisit" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "détruis" for "détruisit" ever safe?
Frequency check: "détruis" vs "détruisit" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "détruis" and "détruisit" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "détruis" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détruisit" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #16,355 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "détruis" and "détruisit" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détruis vs détruise". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #16,355 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.