Which to use
“défendit” and “détenait” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,841
- “défendit” frequency rank
- #25,295
- “détenait” frequency rank
- 68136
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendit | détenait |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du singulier du passé simple de défendre. | Troisième personne du singulier de l’imparfait de détenir. |
Where the eye mixes défendit and détenait
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. défendit (CVCVCCVC) and détenait (CVCVCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between défendit and détenait
A purely visual mix-up. défendit (\de.fɑ̃.di\) and détenait (\de.tə.nɛ\) 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 68136, 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\. détenait is at rank #25,295, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tə.nɛ\.
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 68136, this pair ranks #60,413 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of défendit vs détenait
Shared letters: deinté. Private to "défendit": f. Private to "détenait": a.
"défendit" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "détenait" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "défendit" and "détenait" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "défendit" or "détenait"?
After this comparison
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 "détenait" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #60,413 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendit" and "détenait" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "defender vs défendit". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #60,413 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.