Which to use
“défends” is a verb and “défenses” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,577
- “défends” frequency rank
- #11,569
- “défenses” frequency rank
- 25146
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défends | défenses |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne de l’indicatif présent du verbe défendre. | Pluriel de défense. |
Where the eye mixes défends and défenses
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. défends runs 7 letters (CVCVCCC) against défenses's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses défends with défenses
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: défends is \de.fɑ̃\ while défenses is \de.fɑ̃s\. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25146, 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\. défenses is at rank #11,569, 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 25146, this pair ranks #342,536 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of défends vs défenses
Shared letters: defnsé. Private to "défends": -. Private to "défenses": -.
"défends" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC · "défenses" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "défends" and "défenses" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "défends" or "défenses" show up more?
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 "défends" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défenses" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #342,536 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défends" and "défenses" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défends vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #342,536 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.