Which to use
“défendez” and “défendit” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,738
- “défendez” frequency rank
- #42,841
- “défendit” frequency rank
- 72579
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendez | défendit |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Deuxième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de défendre. | Troisième personne du singulier du passé simple de défendre. |
Where the eye mixes défendez and défendit
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. défendez and défendit follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses défendez with défendit
A purely visual mix-up. défendez (\de.fɑ̃.de\) and défendit (\de.fɑ̃.di\) 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 72579, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défendez is recorded at frequency rank #29,738, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.de\. défendit is at rank #42,841, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.di\.
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 72579, this pair ranks #43,515 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of défendez vs défendit
Shared letters: defné. Private to "défendez": z. Private to "défendit": it.
"défendez" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "défendit" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "défendez" and "défendit" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "défendez" or "défendit"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "défendez" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défendit" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #43,515 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendez" and "défendit" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "defender vs défendit". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #43,515 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.