Which to use
“défendait” and “défendent” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,265
- “défendait” frequency rank
- #9,647
- “défendent” frequency rank
- 28912
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendait | défendent |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du singulier de l’imparfait de défendre. | Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de défendre. |
Where the eye mixes défendait and défendent
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. défendait (CVCVCCVVC) and défendent (CVCVCCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses défendait with défendent
A purely visual mix-up. défendait (\de.fɑ̃.dɛ\) and défendent (\de.fɑ̃d\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28912, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défendait is recorded at frequency rank #19,265, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.dɛ\. défendent is at rank #9,647, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃d\.
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 28912, this pair ranks #319,869 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défendait vs défendent
Shared letters: defnté. Private to "défendait": ai. Private to "défendent": -.
"défendait" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC · "défendent" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "défendait" and "défendent" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "défendait" vs "défendent" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "défendait" and "défendent" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "défendait" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défendent" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #319,869 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendait" and "défendent" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défendait vs défendrai". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #319,869 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.