défaut vs défauts, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“défaut” and “défauts” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,950
“défaut” frequency rank: #5,124
“défauts” frequency rank: 7074
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	défaut	défauts
Definition	Imperfection physique.	Pluriel de défaut.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set défaut and défauts apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

défaut

7 ch

défauts

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. défaut and défauts are pronounced identically (\de.fo\) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “défaut” sits inside “défauts”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7074, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

défaut is recorded at frequency rank #1,950, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.fo\. défauts is at rank #5,124, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.fo\.

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 7074, this pair ranks #424,328 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of défaut vs défauts

Shared letters: adftué. Private to "défaut": -. Private to "défauts": s.

"défaut" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "défauts" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC

Frequency comparison

défaut#1,950

défauts#5,124

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "défaut" and "défauts" be used interchangeably?

No. They are pronounced the same (\de.fo\), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.

Which is more common, "défaut" or "défauts"?

"défaut" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,950 in our French list, against #5,124 for "défauts". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering défaut vs défauts

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “défaut” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable