Which to use
“défait” is an adjective and “défie” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,757
- “défait” frequency rank
- #17,118
- “défie” frequency rank
- 28875
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défait | défie |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui est dénoué, déconstruit, mis dans un état inconvenable, désordonné. | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de défier. |
Where the eye mixes défait and défie
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. défait runs 6 letters (CVCVVC) against défie's 5 (CVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: défait vs défie
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: défait is \de.fɛ\ while défie is \de.fi\. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28875, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défait is recorded at frequency rank #11,757, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.fɛ\. défie is at rank #17,118, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.fi\.
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 28875, this pair ranks #320,119 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défait vs défie
Shared letters: dfié. Private to "défait": at. Private to "défie": e.
"défait" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "défie" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défait" for "défie" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "défait" or "défie" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "défait" and "défie" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "défait" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défie" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #320,119 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défait" and "défie" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dèche vs défie". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #320,119 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.