définiesvsdéfinitConfusable pair

Quick tell: définies is a adjective, définit is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“définies” is an adjective and “définit” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#11,393
“définies” frequency rank
#5,970
“définit” frequency rank
17363
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature définies définit
Definition Féminin pluriel de défini. Troisième personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent du verbe définir.

Same sound, different letters: définies vs définit

Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 6 letters. définies runs 8 letters (CVCVCVVC) against définit's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
définies
7 ch
définit

Ear matches; page differs - définies and définit

Say them out loud and nothing separates them: définies 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17363, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

définies is recorded at frequency rank #11,393, 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 17363, this pair ranks #383,555 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of définies vs définit

Shared letters: dfiné. Private to "définies": es. Private to "définit": t.

"définies" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC  ·  "définit" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "définies" and "définit" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "définies" is an adjective and "définit" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "définies" or "définit"?
"définit" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,970 in our French list, against #11,393 for "définies". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.

  • Full dictionary entry for "définies" 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 #383,555 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "définies" and "définit" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "définies vs démunies". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #383,555 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list