Which to use
“définie” is an adjective and “définit” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,953
- “définie” frequency rank
- #5,970
- “définit” frequency rank
- 13923
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | définie | définit |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Féminin singulier de défini. | Troisième personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent du verbe définir. |
Same sound, different letters: définie vs définit
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 6 letters. définie (CVCVCVV) and définit (CVCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Ear matches; page differs - définie and définit
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: définie and définit carry the same recorded pronunciation, \de.fi.ni\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadjective, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by a single letter - e in “définie” becomes t in “définit”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13923, 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\. définit is at rank #5,970, tagged as averb, 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 13923, this pair ranks #398,948 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of définie vs définit
Shared letters: dfiné. Private to "définie": e. Private to "définit": t.
"définie" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV · "définit" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "définie" and "définit" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "définie" or "définit"?
After this comparison
"définie" and "définit" share a sound, keep the gloss open, then jump to the headword or a nearby trap.
- Full dictionary entry for "définie" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "définit" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #398,948 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "définie" and "définit" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "défendit vs définit". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #398,948 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.