Which to use
“défensif” and “défensifs” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,954
- “défensif” frequency rank
- #32,790
- “défensifs” frequency rank
- 45744
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défensif | défensifs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui est fait pour la défense. | Masculin pluriel de défensif. |
Same sound, different letters: défensif vs défensifs
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 8 letters. défensif runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against défensifs's 9 (CVCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Ear matches; page differs - défensif and défensifs
This is the hard kind. défensif and défensifs are pronounced identically (\de.fɑ̃.sif\) and both work as anadjective. 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) - “défensif” sits inside “défensifs”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45744, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défensif is recorded at frequency rank #12,954, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.sif\. défensifs is at rank #32,790, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.fɑ̃.sif\.
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 45744, this pair ranks #200,358 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défensif vs défensifs
Shared letters: definsé. Private to "défensif": -. Private to "défensifs": -.
"défensif" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "défensifs" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défensif" for "défensifs" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "défensif" or "défensifs" show up more?
What to do next
"défensif" and "défensifs" share a sound, keep the gloss open, then jump to the headword or a nearby trap.
- Full dictionary entry for "défensif" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défensifs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #200,358 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défensif" and "défensifs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défensifs vs défensives". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #200,358 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.