# defenceless vs defenseless

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### defenceless
*adjective · IPA /dɪˈfɛnsləs/ · frequency rank #36,101*
Without defence; undefended.

### defenseless
*adjective · IPA /dɪˈfɛnsləs/ · frequency rank #27,115*
Lacking any form of defense; vulnerable; open to attack.

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