détruit vs détruits, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#2,875
“détruit” frequency rank: #10,694
“détruits” frequency rank: 13569
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	détruit	détruits
Definition	Participe passé masculin singulier de détruire.	Participe passé masculin pluriel de détruire.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set détruit and détruits apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch

détruit

8 ch

détruits

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. détruit and détruits are pronounced identically (\de.tʁɥi\) and both work as averb. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “détruit” sits inside “détruits”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13569, 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\. détruits is at rank #10,694, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tʁɥi\.

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 13569, this pair ranks #400,458 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of détruit vs détruits

Shared letters: dirtué. Private to "détruit": -. Private to "détruits": s.

"détruit" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC · "détruits" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCC

Frequency comparison

détruit#2,875

détruits#10,694

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "détruit" and "détruits" be used interchangeably?

No. They are pronounced the same (\de.tʁɥi\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.

Which is more common, "détruit" or "détruits"?

"détruit" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,875 in our French list, against #10,694 for "détruits". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering détruit vs détruits

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 “détruit” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable