Which to use
“défilent” and “défiler” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,122
- “défilent” frequency rank
- #12,365
- “défiler” frequency rank
- 32487
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défilent | défiler |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de défiler. | Détacher une chose du fil du cordon où elle était passée. |
Where the eye mixes défilent and défiler
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. défilent runs 8 letters (CVCVCVCC) against défiler's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between défilent and défiler
A purely visual mix-up. défilent (\de.fil\) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32487, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défilent is recorded at frequency rank #20,122, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fil\. 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 32487, this pair ranks #296,936 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défilent vs défiler
Shared letters: defilé. Private to "défilent": nt. Private to "défiler": r.
"défilent" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC · "défiler" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "défilent" and "défiler" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "défilent" vs "défiler" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "défilent" and "défiler" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "défilent" 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 #296,936 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défilent" and "défiler" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défilement vs défilent". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #296,936 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.