Which to use
“défie” and “défiler” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,118
- “défie” frequency rank
- #12,365
- “défiler” frequency rank
- 29483
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défie | défiler |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Première personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de défier. | Détacher une chose du fil du cordon où elle était passée. |
Where the eye mixes défie and défiler
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. défie runs 5 letters (CVCVV) against défiler's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: défie vs défiler
A purely visual mix-up. défie (\de.fi\) and défiler (\de.fi.le\) 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 29483, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défie is recorded at frequency rank #17,118, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fi\. défiler is at rank #12,365, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.fi.le\.
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 29483, this pair ranks #316,406 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défie vs défiler
Shared letters: defié. Private to "défie": -. Private to "défiler": lr.
"défie" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "défiler" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "défie" and "défiler" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "défie" or "défiler"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "défie" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défiler" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #316,406 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défie" and "défiler" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dèche vs défie". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #316,406 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.