Which to use
“définie” and “définis” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,953
- “définie” frequency rank
- #10,143
- “définis” frequency rank
- 18096
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | définie | définis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin singulier de défini. | Masculin pluriel de défini. |
Same sound, different letters: définie vs définis
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 6 letters. définie (CVCVCVV) and définis (CVCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Same sound, different spelling - définie / définis
This is the hard kind. définie and définis are pronounced identically (\de.fi.ni\) and both work as anadjective. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by a single letter - e in “définie” becomes s in “définis”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18096, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
définie is recorded at frequency rank #7,953, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.fi.ni\. définis is at rank #10,143, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.fi.ni\.
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 18096, this pair ranks #380,016 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of définie vs définis
Shared letters: dfiné. Private to "définie": e. Private to "définis": s.
"définie" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV · "définis" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "définie" for "définis" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "définie" or "définis" show up more?
What to do next
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "définie" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "définis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #380,016 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "définie" and "définis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "définis vs devins". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #380,016 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.