Which to use
“defensas” and “defense” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,651
- “defensas” frequency rank
- #34,976
- “defense” frequency rank
- 45627
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | defensas | defense |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de defensa. | Defensa. |
Where the eye mixes defensas and defense
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. defensas runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against defense's 7 (CVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: defensas vs defense
A purely visual mix-up. defensas ([d̪eˈfẽnsas]) and defense (/dɪˈfɛns/) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45627, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
defensas is recorded at frequency rank #10,651, classified as anoun, pronounced [d̪eˈfẽnsas]. defense is at rank #34,976, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dɪˈfɛns/.
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 45627, this pair ranks #130,354 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of defensas vs defense
Shared letters: defns. Private to "defensas": a. Private to "defense": -.
"defensas" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "defense" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "defensas" for "defense" ever safe?
Frequency check: "defensas" vs "defense" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "defensas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "defense" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #130,354 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "defensas" and "defense" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "defense vs déjense". 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 #130,354 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.