Which to use
“defensa” and “defensas” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #763
- “defensa” frequency rank
- #10,651
- “defensas” frequency rank
- 11414
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | defensa | defensas |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Acción o efecto de proteger algo contra una ofensiva o daño. | Forma del plural de defensa. |
Where the eye mixes defensa and defensas
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. defensa runs 7 letters (CVCVCCV) against defensas's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses defensa with defensas
A purely visual mix-up. defensa ([d̪eˈfẽnsa]) and defensas ([d̪eˈfẽnsas]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “defensa” sits inside “defensas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11414, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
defensa is recorded at frequency rank #763, classified as anoun, pronounced [d̪eˈfẽnsa]. defensas is at rank #10,651, tagged as anoun, pronounced [d̪eˈfẽnsas].
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 11414, this pair ranks #295,209 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of defensa vs defensas
Shared letters: adefns. Private to "defensa": -. Private to "defensas": -.
"defensa" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "defensas" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "defensa" and "defensas" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "defensa" vs "defensas" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "defensa" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "defensas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #295,209 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "defensa" and "defensas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "defensas vs detengas". 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 #295,209 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.