Which to use
“défi” is a noun and “des” is an article - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,454
- “défi” frequency rank
- #10
- “des” frequency rank
- 3464
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défi | des |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Action de défier. | Article indéfini du pluriel. C’est ainsi le pluriel de un ou une. |
Where the eye mixes défi and des
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between défi and des
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: défi is \de.fi\ while des is \de\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs article), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3464, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défi is recorded at frequency rank #3,454, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.fi\. des is at rank #10, tagged as anarticle, pronounced \de\.
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 3464, this pair ranks #433,963 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of défi vs des
Shared letters: d. Private to "défi": fié. Private to "des": es.
"défi" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "des" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défi" for "des" ever safe?
Frequency check: "défi" vs "des" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "défi" and "des" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "défi" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "des" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #433,963 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défi" and "des" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défi vs denim". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #433,963 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.