Which to use
“définis” is an adjective and “définit” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,143
- “définis” frequency rank
- #5,970
- “définit” frequency rank
- 16113
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | définis | définit |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Masculin pluriel de défini. | Troisième personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent du verbe définir. |
Same sound, different letters: définis vs définit
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 6 letters. définis and définit follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Homophone desk: définis vs définit
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: définis 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 - s in “définis” becomes t in “définit”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16113, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
définis is recorded at frequency rank #10,143, 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 16113, this pair ranks #389,333 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of définis vs définit
Shared letters: dfiné. Private to "définis": s. Private to "définit": t.
"définis" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "définit" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "définis" for "définit" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "définis" or "définit" 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 "définis" 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 #389,333 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "définis" and "définit" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "définis vs devins". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #389,333 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.