Which to use
“défendus” and “détenus” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,784
- “défendus” frequency rank
- #6,500
- “détenus” frequency rank
- 34284
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défendus | détenus |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Masculin pluriel de défendu. | Masculin pluriel de détenu. |
Where the eye mixes défendus and détenus
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. défendus runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against détenus's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between défendus and détenus
A purely visual mix-up. défendus (\de.fɑ̃.dy\) and détenus (\de.tə.ny\) 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 34284, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défendus is recorded at frequency rank #27,784, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.dy\. détenus is at rank #6,500, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.tə.ny\.
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 34284, this pair ranks #284,894 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défendus vs détenus
Shared letters: densué. Private to "défendus": f. Private to "détenus": t.
"défendus" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "détenus" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défendus" for "détenus" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "défendus" or "détenus" 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 "défendus" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détenus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #284,894 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défendus" and "détenus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défendus vs détendus". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #284,894 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.