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defense

de·fense/dɪˈfɛns/noun, verb

defense is spelled D-E-F-E-N-S-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (de·fense). It appears 85 times per million words in written English, the 1,251st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “defence vs defense” about 18,100 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, defense means “The action of defending or protecting from attack, danger, or injury” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of defense is defenses.

How many letters and syllables are in defense?

Letters7: D-E-F-E-N-S-E
Syllables2: de·fense
In writing85 times per million words; the 1,251st most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Pairs people search
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is defense?

Defense appears 85 times per million words in written English, the 1,251st most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce defense?

  • US /dɪˈfɛns/
  • US /ˈdiːˌfɛns/

Defense has 2 syllables, split de·fense in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-defence.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-defense.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with defense

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

defence vs defense18,100 G

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with defense?

5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as defense from its last stressed vowel (/ɛns/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of defense

  • defenses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • defence UK
  • defensing participle, present
  • defensed participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does defense mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    USThe action of defending or protecting from attack, danger, or injury.

  2. 2

    USA strategy and tactics employed to prevent the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense.

  3. 3

    USThe portion of a team dedicated to preventing the other team from scoring; contrasted with offense.

  4. 4

    USAn argument in support or justification of something.

    to come to someone's defense

  5. 5

    USThe case presented by the defendant in a legal proceeding.

  6. 6

    USThe lawyer or team thereof who presents such a case.

  7. 7

    USGovernment policy or (infra)structure related to the military.

    Department of Defense

  8. 8

    USobsoleteA prohibition; a prohibitory ordinance.

verb

  1. 1

    USTo employ defensive tactics (so as to block).

  2. 2

    USarchaicTo furnish with defenses; to defend, protect.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you abbreviate defense?

Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of defense: D, Def..

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Defense in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchdéfense (action of protecting from attack)
GermanVerteidigung, Wehr (action of protecting from attack)
Portuguesedefesa (action of protecting from attack), escudo (anything employed to oppose attack), retranca (team sports: strategy and tactics)
Spanishdefensa (action of protecting from attack), descargo (argument in support or justification of…)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does defense come from?

From Middle English defens, defense, from Old French defens, defense, from Late Latin dēfēnsa (“protection”). Displaced native Old English bewering. The verb is from the noun.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after defense