Which to use
“défaite” is a noun and “devait” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,121
- “défaite” frequency rank
- #871
- “devait” frequency rank
- 2992
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défaite | devait |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Déroute d’une armée ou de quelques troupes. | Troisième personne du singulier de l’imparfait de devoir. |
Where the eye mixes défaite and devait
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. défaite runs 7 letters (CVCVVCV) against devait's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses défaite with devait
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: défaite is \de.fɛt\ while devait is \də.vɛ\. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2992, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défaite is recorded at frequency rank #2,121, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.fɛt\. devait is at rank #871, tagged as averb, pronounced \də.vɛ\.
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 2992, this pair ranks #435,043 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of défaite vs devait
Shared letters: adeit. Private to "défaite": fé. Private to "devait": v.
"défaite" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV · "devait" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- devait ← ddevait · deavit · devaitt · devati · deviat · devvait · dveait · edvait
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "défaite" and "devait" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "défaite" vs "devait" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "défaite" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "devait" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #435,043 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défaite" and "devait" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "déduite vs défaite". 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 #435,043 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.