Which to use
“défendues” and “détendue” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,328
- “défendues” frequency rank
- #27,419
- “détendue” frequency rank
- 56747
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendues | détendue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin pluriel de défendu. | Féminin singulier de détendu. |
Where the eye mixes défendues and détendue
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. défendues runs 9 letters (CVCVCCVVC) against détendue's 8 (CVCVCCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between défendues and détendue
A purely visual mix-up. défendues (\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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56747, 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\. 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 56747, this pair ranks #119,166 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défendues vs détendue
Shared letters: denué. Private to "défendues": fs. Private to "détendue": t.
"défendues" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC · "détendue" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "défendues" and "détendue" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary French text, does "défendues" or "détendue" show up more?
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 "défendues" 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 #119,166 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendues" and "détendue" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défendues vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #119,166 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.