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 eye mixes défense and détenue
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. défense (CVCVCCV) and détenue (CVCVCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: défense vs détenue
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "défense" and "détenue" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "défense" vs "détenue" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "défense" and "détenue" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "défense" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "détenue" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #387,516 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défense" and "détenue" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "détendus vs détenue". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #387,516 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.