Which to use
“defender” and “depender” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,894
- “defender” frequency rank
- #8,368
- “depender” frequency rank
- 10262
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | defender | depender |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mantener algo o alguien a salvo de un daño o perjuicio. | Tener subordinación; estar bajo las órdenes o decisiones de una autoridad o gobierno. |
Where the eye mixes defender and depender
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. defender and depender follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: defender vs depender
A purely visual mix-up. defender ([d̪efẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ]) and depender ([d̪epẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - f in “defender” becomes p in “depender”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10262, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
defender is recorded at frequency rank #1,894, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪efẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ]. depender is at rank #8,368, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪epẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 10262, this pair ranks #299,263 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of defender vs depender
Shared letters: denr. Private to "defender": f. Private to "depender": p.
"defender" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "depender" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "defender" and "depender" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "defender" or "depender"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "defender" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "depender" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #299,263 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "defender" and "depender" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "depender vs dependerán". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #299,263 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.