Which to use
“défend” and “défends” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,750
- “défend” frequency rank
- #13,577
- “défends” frequency rank
- 17327
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défend | défends |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de défendre. | Première personne de l’indicatif présent du verbe défendre. |
Same sound, different letters: défend vs défends
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 6 letters. défend runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against défends's 7 (CVCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Same sound, different spelling - défend / défends
This is the hard kind. défend and défends are pronounced identically (\de.fɑ̃\) and both work as averb. 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) - “défend” sits inside “défends”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17327, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défend is recorded at frequency rank #3,750, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃\. défends is at rank #13,577, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃\.
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 17327, this pair ranks #383,720 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of défend vs défends
Shared letters: defné. Private to "défend": -. Private to "défends": s.
"défend" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "défends" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défend" for "défends" ever safe?
Which is more common, "défend" or "défends"?
After this comparison
"défend" and "défends" share a sound, keep the gloss open, then jump to the headword or a nearby trap.
- Full dictionary entry for "défend" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défends" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #383,720 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défend" and "défends" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défends vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #383,720 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.