Which to use
“défenses” and “défenseur” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,569
- “défenses” frequency rank
- #4,326
- “défenseur” frequency rank
- 15895
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défenses | défenseur |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de défense. | Celui qui défend quelqu’un ou quelque chose qui est attaqué. |
Where the eye mixes défenses and défenseur
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. défenses runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against défenseur's 9 (CVCVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between défenses and défenseur
A purely visual mix-up. défenses (\de.fɑ̃s\) and défenseur (\de.fɑ̃.sœʁ\) 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 15895, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défenses is recorded at frequency rank #11,569, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.fɑ̃s\. défenseur is at rank #4,326, tagged as anoun, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.sœʁ\.
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 15895, this pair ranks #390,363 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of défenses vs défenseur
Shared letters: defnsé. Private to "défenses": -. Private to "défenseur": ru.
"défenses" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "défenseur" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défenses" for "défenseur" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "défenses" or "défenseur" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "défenses" and "défenseur" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "défenses" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défenseur" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #390,363 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défenses" and "défenseur" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "defender vs défenses". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #390,363 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.