Which to use
“détruisent” and “détruisit” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,667
- “détruisent” frequency rank
- #39,772
- “détruisit” frequency rank
- 54439
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | détruisent | détruisit |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de détruire. | Troisième personne du singulier du passé simple de détruire. |
Where the eye mixes détruisent and détruisit
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. détruisent runs 10 letters (CVCCVVCVCC) against détruisit's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses détruisent with détruisit
A purely visual mix-up. détruisent (\de.tʁɥiz\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54439, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
détruisent is recorded at frequency rank #14,667, classified as averb, pronounced \de.tʁɥiz\. 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 54439, this pair ranks #134,061 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of détruisent vs détruisit
Shared letters: dirstué. Private to "détruisent": en. Private to "détruisit": -.
"détruisent" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCC · "détruisit" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "détruisent" for "détruisit" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "détruisent" or "détruisit" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "détruisent" 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 #134,061 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "détruisent" and "détruisit" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détruise vs détruisit". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #134,061 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.