défends vs défense, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“défends” is a verb and “défense” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#13,577
“défends” frequency rank: #897
“défense” frequency rank: 14474
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	défends	défense
Definition	Première personne de l’indicatif présent du verbe défendre.	Action de défendre, de se défendre.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set défends and défense apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch

défends

7 ch

défense

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: défends is \de.fɑ̃\ while défense is \de.fɑ̃s\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14474, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

défends is recorded at frequency rank #13,577, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fɑ̃\. défense is at rank #897, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.fɑ̃s\.

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 14474, this pair ranks #396,477 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of défends vs défense

Shared letters: defnsé. Private to "défends": -. Private to "défense": -.

"défends" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC · "défense" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Frequency comparison

défends#13,577

défense#897

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "défends" and "défense" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "défends" is a verb and "défense" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "défends" or "défense"?

"défense" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #897 in our French list, against #13,577 for "défends". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering défends vs défense

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “défends”; for a noun, it's “défense”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “défends” entry
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