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 eye mixes défends and défense
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. défends (CVCVCCC) and défense (CVCVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: défends vs défense
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défends" for "défense" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "défends" or "défense" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "défends" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défense" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #396,477 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défends" and "défense" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défends vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #396,477 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.