Which to use
“défends” is a verb and “définis” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,577
- “défends” frequency rank
- #10,143
- “définis” frequency rank
- 23720
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défends | définis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne de l’indicatif présent du verbe défendre. | Masculin pluriel de défini. |
Where the eye mixes défends and définis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. défends (CVCVCCC) and définis (CVCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between défends and définis
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: défends is \de.fɑ̃\ while définis is \de.fi.ni\. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23720, 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\. définis is at rank #10,143, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.fi.ni\.
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 23720, this pair ranks #350,854 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of défends vs définis
Shared letters: dfnsé. Private to "défends": e. Private to "définis": i.
"défends" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC · "définis" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "défends" and "définis" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "défends" vs "définis" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "défends" and "définis" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "défends" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "définis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #350,854 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défends" and "définis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défends vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #350,854 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.