Which to use
“défendue” and “détendue” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,160
- “défendue” frequency rank
- #27,419
- “détendue” frequency rank
- 40579
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendue | détendue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin singulier de défendu. | Féminin singulier de détendu. |
Where the eye mixes défendue and détendue
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. défendue and détendue follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: défendue vs détendue
A purely visual mix-up. défendue (\de.fɑ̃.dy\) and détendue (\de.tɑ̃.dy\) 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 a single letter - f in “défendue” becomes t in “détendue”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40579, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défendue is recorded at frequency rank #13,160, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.dy\. détendue is at rank #27,419, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.tɑ̃.dy\.
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 40579, this pair ranks #239,465 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défendue vs détendue
Shared letters: denué. Private to "défendue": f. Private to "détendue": t.
"défendue" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVV · "détendue" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "défendue" and "détendue" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "défendue" or "détendue" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "défendue" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détendue" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #239,465 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendue" and "détendue" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détendue vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #239,465 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.