# defy vs Duffy

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### defy
*verb · IPA /dɪˈfaɪ/ · frequency rank #16,683*
To challenge (someone) or brave (a hazard or opposition).

### Duffy
*name · IPA /ˈdʌfi/ · frequency rank #16,897*
A surname from Irish, an anglicization of Ó Dubhthaigh (“descendant of Dubhthach”). Dubhthach is a byname derived from dubh (“black”).

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