Which to use
“défendez” and “défendre” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,738
- “défendez” frequency rank
- #1,660
- “défendre” frequency rank
- 31398
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendez | défendre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Deuxième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de défendre. | Protéger, soutenir, quelqu'un ou quelque chose contre une attaque, une agression. |
Where the eye mixes défendez and défendre
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. défendez (CVCVCCVC) and défendre (CVCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between défendez and défendre
A purely visual mix-up. défendez (\de.fɑ̃.de\) and défendre (\de.fɑ̃dʁ\) 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 31398, 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\. défendre is at rank #1,660, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃dʁ\.
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 31398, this pair ranks #304,028 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défendez vs défendre
Shared letters: defné. Private to "défendez": z. Private to "défendre": r.
"défendez" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "défendre" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "défendez" and "défendre" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "défendez" vs "défendre" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
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 "défendre" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #304,028 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendez" and "défendre" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "defender vs défendez". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #304,028 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.