Which to use
“défaits” is an adjective and “délais” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,789
- “défaits” frequency rank
- #5,551
- “délais” frequency rank
- 38340
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défaits | délais |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Masculin pluriel de défait. | Pluriel de délai. |
Where the eye mixes défaits and délais
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. défaits runs 7 letters (CVCVVCC) against délais's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses défaits with délais
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: défaits is \de.fɛ\ while délais is \de.lɛ\. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38340, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défaits is recorded at frequency rank #32,789, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.fɛ\. délais is at rank #5,551, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.lɛ\.
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 38340, this pair ranks #255,922 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défaits vs délais
Shared letters: adisé. Private to "défaits": ft. Private to "délais": l.
"défaits" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC · "délais" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "défaits" and "délais" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "défaits" vs "délais" - which ranks higher?
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 "défaits" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "délais" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #255,922 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défaits" and "délais" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défaits vs desdits". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #255,922 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.