Which to use
“défendre” and “défends” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,660
- “défendre” frequency rank
- #13,577
- “défends” frequency rank
- 15237
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendre | défends |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Protéger, soutenir, quelqu'un ou quelque chose contre une attaque, une agression. | Première personne de l’indicatif présent du verbe défendre. |
Where the eye mixes défendre and défends
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. défendre runs 8 letters (CVCVCCCV) against défends's 7 (CVCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses défendre with défends
A purely visual mix-up. défendre (\de.fɑ̃dʁ\) 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 15237, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défendre is recorded at frequency rank #1,660, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃dʁ\. 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 15237, this pair ranks #393,236 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of défendre vs défends
Shared letters: defné. Private to "défendre": r. Private to "défends": s.
"défendre" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV · "défends" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "défendre" and "défends" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "défendre" vs "défends" - 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 "défendre" 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 #393,236 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendre" and "défends" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défends vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #393,236 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.