defensible
/dɪˈfɛn.sɪ.bəl/adjective
defensible is spelled D-E-F-E-N-S-I-B-L-E: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, defensible means “Capable of being defended against armed attack” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in defensible?
| Letters | 10: D-E-F-E-N-S-I-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,565th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is defensible?
Defensible appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th 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 defensible?
- US /dɪˈfɛn.sɪ.bəl/
- US [dɪˈfɛn.sɪ.bɫ]
- Australia [dɪˈfen.sɪ.bɫ]
Defensible has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Qwertygiy-defensible.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with defensible?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as defensible from its last stressed vowel (/ɛnsɪbəl/):
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 defensible
- more defensible comparative
- most defensible superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does defensible mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Capable of being defended against armed attack.
- 2
Capable of being justified.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Defensible in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | defensável |
| Spanish | defendible , sostenible |
| French | défendable |
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 defensible come from?
From Old French defensable, from Latin defensibilem. Equivalent to defense + -ible.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).