Which to use
“defense” is a noun and “déjense” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #34,976
- “defense” frequency rank
- #49,603
- “déjense” frequency rank
- 84579
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | defense | déjense |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Defensa. | Segunda persona del plural (ustedes) del imperativo afirmativo de dejarse (con el pronombre enclítico). |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set defense and déjense apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: defense is /dɪˈfɛns/ while déjense is [ˈd̪exẽnse]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 84579, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
defense is recorded at frequency rank #34,976, classified as anoun, pronounced /dɪˈfɛns/. déjense is at rank #49,603, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪exẽnse].
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 84579, this pair ranks #6,921 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of defense vs déjense
Shared letters: dens. Private to "defense": f. Private to "déjense": jé.
"defense" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "déjense" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- defense ← ddefense · deefnse · defence · defenes · defennse · defensse · defesne · deffense
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "defense" and "déjense" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "defense" or "déjense"?
Remembering defense vs déjense
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “defense”; for a verb, it's “déjense”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “defense” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable