détruitvsdétruitesConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#2,875
“détruit” frequency rank
#13,777
“détruites” frequency rank
16652
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature détruit détruites
Definition Participe passé masculin singulier de détruire. Participe passé féminin pluriel de détruire.

Where the eye mixes détruit and détruites

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. détruit runs 7 letters (CVCCVVC) against détruites's 9 (CVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
détruit
9 ch
détruites

Look-alike desk: détruit vs détruites

A purely visual mix-up. détruit (\de.tʁɥi\) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “détruit” sits inside “détruites”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16652, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

détruit is recorded at frequency rank #2,875, classified as averb, pronounced \de.tʁɥi\. 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 16652, this pair ranks #386,855 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of détruit vs détruites

Shared letters: dirtué. Private to "détruit": -. Private to "détruites": es.

"détruit" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "détruites" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "détruit" and "détruites" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.tʁɥi\ versus \de.tʁɥit\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary French text, does "détruit" or "détruites" show up more?
"détruit" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,875 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.

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 "détruit" 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 #386,855 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "détruit" and "détruites" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détruise vs détruites". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #386,855 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