Which to use
“défendue” and “détendus” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,160
- “défendue” frequency rank
- #49,621
- “détendus” frequency rank
- 62781
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendue | détendus |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin singulier de défendu. | Masculin pluriel de détendu. |
Where the eye mixes défendue and détendus
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. défendue (CVCVCCVV) and détendus (CVCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between défendue and détendus
A purely visual mix-up. défendue (\de.fɑ̃.dy\) and détendus (\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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62781, 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\. détendus is at rank #49,621, 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 62781, this pair ranks #85,330 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of défendue vs détendus
Shared letters: denué. Private to "défendue": f. Private to "détendus": st.
"défendue" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVV · "détendus" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "défendue" and "détendus" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "défendue" or "détendus"?
What to do next
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 "détendus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #85,330 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendue" and "détendus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détends vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #85,330 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.