défense vs détenue, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#897
“défense” frequency rank: #15,613
“détenue” frequency rank: 16510
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	défense	détenue
Definition	Action de défendre, de se défendre.	Femme détenue.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set défense and détenue apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch

défense

7 ch

détenue

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. défense (\de.fɑ̃s\) and détenue (\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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16510, 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\. détenue is at rank #15,613, tagged as anoun, 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 16510, this pair ranks #387,516 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of défense vs détenue

Shared letters: dené. Private to "défense": fs. Private to "détenue": tu.

"défense" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "détenue" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV

Frequency comparison

défense#897

détenue#15,613

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

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

"défense" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #897 in our French list, against #15,613 for "détenue". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering défense vs détenue

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
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable