Which to use
“défendre” is a verb and “défendu” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,660
- “défendre” frequency rank
- #6,290
- “défendu” frequency rank
- 7950
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendre | défendu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Protéger, soutenir, quelqu'un ou quelque chose contre une attaque, une agression. | Interdit, prohibé. |
Where the eye mixes défendre and défendu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between défendre and défendu
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: défendre is \de.fɑ̃dʁ\ while défendu is \de.fɑ̃.dy\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7950, 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\. défendu is at rank #6,290, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.dy\.
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 7950, this pair ranks #421,607 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of défendre vs défendu
Shared letters: defné. Private to "défendre": r. Private to "défendu": u.
"défendre" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV · "défendu" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défendre" for "défendu" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "défendre" or "défendu" show up more?
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 "défendre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défendu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #421,607 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendre" and "défendu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défendu vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #421,607 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.