défectueuse vs défectueuses

Which to use

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

#30,993
“défectueuse” frequency rank: #48,463
“défectueuses” frequency rank: 79456
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	défectueuse	défectueuses
Definition	Féminin singulier de défectueux.	Féminin pluriel de défectueux.

Same sound, different letters: défectueuse vs défectueuses

Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 11 letters. défectueuse runs 11 letters (CVCVCCVVVCV) against défectueuses's 12 (CVCVCCVVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

11 ch

défectueuse

12 ch

défectueuses

Ear matches; page differs - défectueuse and défectueuses

This is the hard kind. défectueuse and défectueuses are pronounced identically (\de.fɛk.tɥøz\) and both work as anadjective. 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) - “défectueuse” sits inside “défectueuses”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79456, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

défectueuse is recorded at frequency rank #30,993, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.fɛk.tɥøz\. défectueuses is at rank #48,463, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.fɛk.tɥøz\.

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 79456, this pair ranks #23,243 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of défectueuse vs défectueuses

Shared letters: cdefstué. Private to "défectueuse": -. Private to "défectueuses": -.

"défectueuse" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVVVCV · "défectueuses" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCVVVCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "défectueuse" for "défectueuses" ever safe?

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

Frequency check: "défectueuse" vs "défectueuses" - which ranks higher?

"défectueuse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,993 in our French list, against #48,463 for "défectueuses". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

"défectueuse" and "défectueuses" share a sound, keep the gloss open, then jump to the headword or a nearby trap.

Full dictionary entry for "défectueuse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
Full dictionary entry for "défectueuses" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
This pair ranks #23,243 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
"défectueuse" and "défectueuses" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défectueuse vs défectueux". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #23,243 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.