défends
\de.fɑ̃\
The verdict
“défends” has 12 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #13,577. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #13,577
- frequency rank, French
- 404,891
- “D” headwords
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Première personne de l’indicatif présent du verbe défendre.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | défends |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | \de.fɑ̃\ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #13,577 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “défends” sits in French frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 12 spelling variants around défends (IPA \de.fɑ̃\), averb. Corpus frequency is #13,577 among 404,891 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for défends, with forms such as "ddéfends", "defends", and "dféends". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "dépens", "détend", "depend", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is défends, spelled D-É-F-E-N-D-S.
Definition
- 1Première personne de l’indicatif présent du verbe défendre.
- 2Deuxième personne de l’indicatif présent du verbe défendre.
- 3Deuxième personne de l’impératif présent du verbe défendre.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- ddéfends
- defends
- dféends
- déefnds
- défedns
- défendds
- défendss
- défennds
- défensd
- déffends
- défneds
- édfends
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of défends - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "défends"?
What does "défends" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "défends"?
How do you pronounce "défends"?
What language does "défends" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “défends”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is D-É-F-E-N-D-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \de.fɑ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “dépens” - see the side-by-side comparison. défends vs dépens
- Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Same frequency band
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.