Which to use
“défendaient” and “défendait” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,813
- “défendaient” frequency rank
- #19,265
- “défendait” frequency rank
- 56078
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendaient | défendait |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du pluriel de l’imparfait de défendre. | Troisième personne du singulier de l’imparfait de défendre. |
Same sound, different letters: défendaient vs défendait
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 9 letters. défendaient runs 11 letters (CVCVCCVVVCC) against défendait's 9 (CVCVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Homophone desk: défendaient vs défendait
This is the hard kind. défendaient and défendait are pronounced identically (\de.fɑ̃.dɛ\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56078, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défendaient is recorded at frequency rank #36,813, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.dɛ\. défendait is at rank #19,265, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.dɛ\.
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 56078, this pair ranks #123,386 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défendaient vs défendait
Shared letters: adefinté. Private to "défendaient": -. Private to "défendait": -.
"défendaient" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVVVCC · "défendait" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "défendaient" and "défendait" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "défendaient" vs "défendait" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "défendaient" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défendait" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #123,386 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendaient" and "défendait" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défendaient vs descendaient". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #123,386 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.