Which to use
“défenseur” and “défenseurs” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,326
- “défenseur” frequency rank
- #6,606
- “défenseurs” frequency rank
- 10932
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défenseur | défenseurs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Celui qui défend quelqu’un ou quelque chose qui est attaqué. | Pluriel de défenseur. |
Same sound, different letters: défenseur vs défenseurs
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 9 letters. défenseur runs 9 letters (CVCVCCVVC) against défenseurs's 10 (CVCVCCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Same sound, different spelling - défenseur / défenseurs
This is the hard kind. défenseur and défenseurs are pronounced identically (\de.fɑ̃.sœʁ\) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “défenseur” sits inside “défenseurs”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10932, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défenseur is recorded at frequency rank #4,326, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.sœʁ\. 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 10932, this pair ranks #411,115 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of défenseur vs défenseurs
Shared letters: defnrsué. Private to "défenseur": -. Private to "défenseurs": -.
"défenseur" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC · "défenseurs" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défenseur" for "défenseurs" ever safe?
Frequency check: "défenseur" vs "défenseurs" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
You've separated the homophone pair "défenseur" / "défenseurs". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "défenseur" 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 #411,115 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défenseur" and "défenseurs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "defender vs défenseur". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #411,115 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.