# defence vs deference

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### defence
*noun · IPA /dɪˈfɛns/ · frequency rank #2,940*
The action of defending, of protecting from attack, danger or injury.

### deference
*noun · IPA /ˈdɛfəɹəns/ · frequency rank #30,390*
Great respect.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/defence-vs-deference