Which to use
“defiende” is a verb and “depende” is a phrase - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,151
- “defiende” frequency rank
- #1,633
- “depende” frequency rank
- 5784
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | defiende | depende |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de defender o de defenderse. | Expresión para indicar que algo es contingente o se acepta solo bajo determinadas condiciones.. |
Where the eye mixes defiende and depende
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: defiende vs depende
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: defiende is [d̪eˈfjẽn̪d̪e] while depende is [d̪eˈpẽn̪d̪e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs phrase), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5784, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
defiende is recorded at frequency rank #4,151, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈfjẽn̪d̪e]. depende is at rank #1,633, tagged as aphrase, pronounced [d̪eˈpẽn̪d̪e].
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 5784, this pair ranks #312,669 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of defiende vs depende
Shared letters: den. Private to "defiende": fi. Private to "depende": p.
"defiende" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCCV · "depende" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "defiende" for "depende" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "defiende" or "depende" show up more?
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 "defiende" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "depende" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #312,669 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "defiende" and "depende" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "déjense vs depende". 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 #312,669 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.