Which to use
“défier” and “déviée” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,556
- “défier” frequency rank
- #45,005
- “déviée” frequency rank
- 57561
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défier | déviée |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Provoquer à une lutte, au duel. | Participe passé féminin singulier de dévier. |
Where the eye mixes défier and déviée
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: défier vs déviée
A purely visual mix-up. défier (\de.fje\) and déviée (\de.vje\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57561, 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\. déviée is at rank #45,005, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.vje\.
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 57561, this pair ranks #114,289 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défier vs déviée
Shared letters: deié. Private to "défier": fr. Private to "déviée": v.
"défier" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "déviée" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "défier" and "déviée" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "défier" vs "déviée" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "défier" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "déviée" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #114,289 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défier" and "déviée" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "déviée vs devins". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #114,289 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.