défense

[de.fɑ̃s]

/[de.fɑ̃s]/ noun

The verdict

“défense” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Interdikt, Verbot, Abwehr, Wehr, Verteidigung

Corpus desk

Index DE-defense · défense · German

défense · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for défense
PropertyValue
Headworddéfense
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[de.fɑ̃s]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „défense“ im Deutschen

défenseliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

défense is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [de.fɑ̃s]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Interdikt, Verbot, Abwehr, Wehr, Verteidigung".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for défense, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is défense, spelled D-É-F-E-N-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Interdikt, Verbot, Abwehr, Wehr, Verteidigung

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "défense"?
"défense" is spelled D-É-F-E-N-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is [de.fɑ̃s].
What does "défense" mean?
As a noun, "défense" means: Interdikt, Verbot, Abwehr, Wehr, Verteidigung
How do you pronounce "défense"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "défense" is [de.fɑ̃s]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "défense" come from?
"défense" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list