détruisentvsdétruisitWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set détruisent and détruisit apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
détruisent
9 ch
détruisit

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

Frequency comparison

détruisent#14,667
détruisit#39,772

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "détruisent" and "détruisit" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.tʁɥiz\ versus \de.tʁɥi.zi\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "détruisent" or "détruisit"?
"détruisent" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,667 in our French list, against #39,772 for "détruisit". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering détruisent vs détruisit

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “détruisent” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list