Which to use
“défendons” and “défends” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,574
- “défendons” frequency rank
- #13,577
- “défends” frequency rank
- 44151
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendons | défends |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de défendre. | Première personne de l’indicatif présent du verbe défendre. |
Where the eye mixes défendons and défends
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. défendons runs 9 letters (CVCVCCVCC) against défends's 7 (CVCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between défendons and défends
A purely visual mix-up. défendons (\de.fɑ̃.dɔ̃\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44151, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défendons is recorded at frequency rank #30,574, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.dɔ̃\. 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 44151, this pair ranks #212,659 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défendons vs défends
Shared letters: defnsé. Private to "défendons": o. Private to "défends": -.
"défendons" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC · "défends" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défendons" for "défends" ever safe?
Which is more common, "défendons" or "défends"?
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 "défendons" 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 #212,659 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendons" and "défends" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défendons vs descendons". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #212,659 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.