Which to use
“défier” is a verb and “demie” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,556
- “défier” frequency rank
- #6,492
- “demie” frequency rank
- 19048
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défier | demie |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Provoquer à une lutte, au duel. | Demi-heure. Note d’usage : On dit de une heure et demie à onze heures et demie, mais rarement les autres (sinon midi, ou minuit, et demi, qui ne sont plus de la même forme). |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set défier and demie apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
défier and demie form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19048, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défier is recorded at frequency rank #12,556, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fje\. demie is at rank #6,492, tagged as anoun, pronounced \də.mi\.
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 19048, this pair ranks #375,301 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "défier" and "demie" be used interchangeably?
Remembering défier vs demie
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “défier”; for a noun, it's “demie”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “défier” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable