# defend vs defense

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### defend
*verb · IPA /dɪˈfɛnd/ · frequency rank #3,159*
To ward off attacks against; to fight to protect; to guard.

### defense
*noun · IPA /dɪˈfɛns/ · frequency rank #1,247*
The action of defending or protecting from attack, danger, or injury.

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