Which to use
“défendez” and “détendez” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,738
- “défendez” frequency rank
- #32,797
- “détendez” frequency rank
- 62535
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendez | détendez |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Deuxième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de défendre. | Deuxième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de détendre. |
Where the eye mixes défendez and détendez
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. défendez and détendez follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: défendez vs détendez
A purely visual mix-up. défendez (\de.fɑ̃.de\) and détendez (\de.tɑ̃.de\) 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 “défendez” becomes t in “détendez”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62535, 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\. détendez is at rank #32,797, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tɑ̃.de\.
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 62535, this pair ranks #86,568 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of défendez vs détendez
Shared letters: denzé. Private to "défendez": f. Private to "détendez": t.
"défendez" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "détendez" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défendez" for "détendez" ever safe?
Frequency check: "défendez" vs "détendez" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "défendez" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détendez" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #86,568 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendez" and "détendez" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détendez vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #86,568 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.