Which to use
“défenses” and “défenseurs” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,569
- “défenses” frequency rank
- #6,606
- “défenseurs” frequency rank
- 18175
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défenses | défenseurs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de défense. | Pluriel de défenseur. |
Where the eye mixes défenses and défenseurs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. défenses runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against défenseurs's 10 (CVCVCCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses défenses with défenseurs
A purely visual mix-up. défenses (\de.fɑ̃s\) and défenseurs (\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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18175, 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\. défenseurs is at rank #6,606, 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 18175, this pair ranks #379,629 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of défenses vs défenseurs
Shared letters: defnsé. Private to "défenses": -. Private to "défenseurs": ru.
"défenses" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "défenseurs" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défenses" for "défenseurs" ever safe?
Which is more common, "défenses" or "défenseurs"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "défenses" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défenseurs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #379,629 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défenses" and "défenseurs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "defender vs défenses". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #379,629 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.