Which to use
“défendu” is an adjective and “depend” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,290
- “défendu” frequency rank
- #26,692
- “depend” frequency rank
- 32982
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendu | depend |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Interdit, prohibé. | (Suivi de on ou de upon, et plus anciennement de of) Dépendre (de). |
Where the eye mixes défendu and depend
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: défendu vs depend
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: défendu is \de.fɑ̃.dy\ while depend is \dɪˈpɛnd\. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32982, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défendu is recorded at frequency rank #6,290, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.dy\. depend is at rank #26,692, tagged as averb, pronounced \dɪˈpɛnd\.
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 32982, this pair ranks #293,646 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défendu vs depend
Shared letters: den. Private to "défendu": fué. Private to "depend": p.
"défendu" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "depend" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- depend ← ddepend · deepnd · depedn · dependd · depennd · depned · deppend · dpeend
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "défendu" and "depend" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "défendu" or "depend"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "défendu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "depend" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #293,646 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendu" and "depend" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "depend vs Dupond". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #293,646 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.