defvsdzWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: def is a noun, dz is a character, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“def” is a noun and “dz” is a character - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,691
“def” frequency rank
#47,847
“dz” frequency rank
68538
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature def dz
Definition Casquette. Lettre de l’alphabet hongrois entre le d et le dzs, utilisée pour \dz\.

Where the eye mixes def and dz

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
def
2 ch
dz

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: def is \dɛf\ while dz is \dzeː\. 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 (noun vs character), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68538, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

def is recorded at frequency rank #20,691, classified as anoun, pronounced \dɛf\. dz is at rank #47,847, tagged as acharacter, pronounced \dzeː\.

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 68538, this pair ranks #58,764 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of def vs dz

Shared letters: d. Private to "def": ef. Private to "dz": z.

"def" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "dz" · 2 letters · shape CC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "def" and "dz" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "def" is a noun and "dz" a character, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "def" or "dz"?
"def" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,691 in our French list, against #47,847 for "dz". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list