défendentvsdéfendonsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,647
“défendent” frequency rank
#30,574
“défendons” frequency rank
40221
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature défendent défendons
Definition Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de défendre. Première personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de défendre.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set défendent and défendons apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
défendent
9 ch
défendons

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. défendent (\de.fɑ̃d\) and défendons (\de.fɑ̃.dɔ̃\) 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 40221, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

défendent is recorded at frequency rank #9,647, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃d\. défendons is at rank #30,574, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.dɔ̃\.

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 40221, this pair ranks #242,126 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of défendent vs défendons

Shared letters: defné. Private to "défendent": t. Private to "défendons": os.

"défendent" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC  ·  "défendons" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC

Frequency comparison

défendent#9,647
défendons#30,574

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "défendent" and "défendons" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\de.fɑ̃d\ versus \de.fɑ̃.dɔ̃\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "défendent" or "défendons"?
"défendent" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,647 in our French list, against #30,574 for "défendons". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering défendent vs défendons

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 “défendent” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list