Which to use
“défendaient” and “dépendaient” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,813
- “défendaient” frequency rank
- #41,250
- “dépendaient” frequency rank
- 78063
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendaient | dépendaient |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du pluriel de l’imparfait de défendre. | Troisième personne du pluriel de l’imparfait de dépendre. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set défendaient and dépendaient apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. défendaient (\de.fɑ̃.dɛ\) and dépendaient (\de.pɑ̃.dɛ\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - f in “défendaient” becomes p in “dépendaient”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78063, 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\. dépendaient is at rank #41,250, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.pɑ̃.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 78063, this pair ranks #26,730 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of défendaient vs dépendaient
Shared letters: adeinté. Private to "défendaient": f. Private to "dépendaient": p.
"défendaient" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVVVCC · "dépendaient" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVVVCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "défendaient" and "dépendaient" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "défendaient" or "dépendaient"?
Remembering défendaient vs dépendaient
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 “défendaient” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable