défaitesvsdensitésConfusable pair

Quick tell: défaites is a adjective, densités is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“défaites” is an adjective and “densités” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#7,554
“défaites” frequency rank
#41,218
“densités” frequency rank
48772
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature défaites densités
Definition Féminin pluriel de défait. Pluriel de densité.

Where the eye mixes défaites and densités

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. défaites (CVCVVCVC) and densités (CVCCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

8 ch
défaites
8 ch
densités

Look-alike desk: défaites vs densités

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: défaites is \de.fɛt\ while densités is \dɑ̃.si.te\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 4 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48772, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

défaites is recorded at frequency rank #7,554, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.fɛt\. densités is at rank #41,218, tagged as anoun, pronounced \dɑ̃.si.te\.

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 48772, this pair ranks #176,147 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of défaites vs densités

Shared letters: deisté. Private to "défaites": af. Private to "densités": n.

"défaites" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC  ·  "densités" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "défaites" and "densités" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "défaites" is an adjective and "densités" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary French text, does "défaites" or "densités" show up more?
"défaites" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,554 in our French list, against #41,218 for "densités". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "défaites" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "densités" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #176,147 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "défaites" and "densités" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "densités vs désires". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #176,147 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list