Which to use
“défendit” and “défends” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,841
- “défendit” frequency rank
- #13,577
- “défends” frequency rank
- 56418
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendit | défends |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du singulier du passé simple de défendre. | Première personne de l’indicatif présent du verbe défendre. |
Where the eye mixes défendit and défends
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. défendit runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against défends's 7 (CVCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between défendit and défends
A purely visual mix-up. défendit (\de.fɑ̃.di\) and défends (\de.fɑ̃\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56418, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défendit is recorded at frequency rank #42,841, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.di\. défends is at rank #13,577, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃\.
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 56418, this pair ranks #121,220 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défendit vs défends
Shared letters: defné. Private to "défendit": it. Private to "défends": s.
"défendit" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "défends" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défendit" for "défends" ever safe?
Which is more common, "défendit" or "défends"?
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 "défendit" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défends" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #121,220 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendit" and "défends" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "defender vs défendit". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #121,220 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.