défense vs défensive, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“défense” and “défensive” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#897
“défense” frequency rank: #11,392
“défensive” frequency rank: 12289
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	défense	défensive
Definition	Action de défendre, de se défendre.	Disposition à se défendre, à ne faire simplement que se défendre.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set défense and défensive apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch

défense

9 ch

défensive

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. défense (\de.fɑ̃s\) and défensive (\de.fɑ̃.siv\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12289, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

défense is recorded at frequency rank #897, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.fɑ̃s\. défensive is at rank #11,392, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.siv\.

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 12289, this pair ranks #405,858 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of défense vs défensive

Shared letters: defnsé. Private to "défense": -. Private to "défensive": iv.

"défense" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "défensive" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCV

Frequency comparison

défense#897

défensive#11,392

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "défense" and "défensive" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently (\de.fɑ̃s\ versus \de.fɑ̃.siv\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "défense" or "défensive"?

"défense" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #897 in our French list, against #11,392 for "défensive". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering défense vs défensive

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “défense” entry
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