Which to use
“défends” and “détend” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,577
- “défends” frequency rank
- #21,607
- “détend” frequency rank
- 35184
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défends | détend |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne de l’indicatif présent du verbe défendre. | Troisième personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de détendre. |
Where the eye mixes défends and détend
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. défends runs 7 letters (CVCVCCC) against détend's 6 (CVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses défends with détend
A purely visual mix-up. défends (\de.fɑ̃\) and détend (\de.tɑ̃\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35184, 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\. détend is at rank #21,607, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.tɑ̃\.
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 35184, this pair ranks #278,568 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défends vs détend
Shared letters: dené. Private to "défends": fs. Private to "détend": t.
"défends" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC · "détend" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "défends" and "détend" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "défends" or "détend" show up more?
What to do next
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 "détend" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #278,568 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défends" and "détend" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détend vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #278,568 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.