Which to use
“défendues” is an adjective and “défenses” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,328
- “défendues” frequency rank
- #11,569
- “défenses” frequency rank
- 40897
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendues | défenses |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin pluriel de défendu. | Pluriel de défense. |
Where the eye mixes défendues and défenses
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. défendues runs 9 letters (CVCVCCVVC) against défenses's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses défendues with défenses
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: défendues is \de.fɑ̃.dy\ while défenses is \de.fɑ̃s\. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40897, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défendues is recorded at frequency rank #29,328, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.dy\. défenses is at rank #11,569, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.fɑ̃s\.
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 40897, this pair ranks #237,091 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défendues vs défenses
Shared letters: defnsé. Private to "défendues": u. Private to "défenses": -.
"défendues" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC · "défenses" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "défendues" and "défenses" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary French text, does "défendues" or "défenses" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "défendues" and "défenses" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "défendues" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défenses" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #237,091 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendues" and "défenses" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défendues vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #237,091 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.