Which to use
“défilé” is a noun and “défilent” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,498
- “défilé” frequency rank
- #20,122
- “défilent” frequency rank
- 26620
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défilé | défilent |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Passage étroit où il ne peut passer que peu de personnes de front. | Troisième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de défiler. |
Where the eye mixes défilé and défilent
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. défilé runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against défilent's 8 (CVCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses défilé with défilent
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: défilé is \de.fi.le\ while défilent is \de.fil\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26620, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défilé is recorded at frequency rank #6,498, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.fi.le\. défilent is at rank #20,122, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.fil\.
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 26620, this pair ranks #333,847 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of défilé vs défilent
Shared letters: dfilé. Private to "défilé": -. Private to "défilent": ent.
"défilé" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "défilent" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "défilé" for "défilent" ever safe?
Which is more common, "défilé" or "défilent"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "défilé" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défilent" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #333,847 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défilé" and "défilent" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défilement vs défilent". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #333,847 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.