Which to use
“défis” and “devils” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,971
- “défis” frequency rank
- #24,930
- “devils” frequency rank
- 30901
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défis | devils |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de défi. | Pluriel de devil. |
Where the eye mixes défis and devils
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between défis and devils
A purely visual mix-up. défis (\de.fi\) and devils (\ˈdɛv.əlz\) 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 30901, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défis is recorded at frequency rank #5,971, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.fi\. devils is at rank #24,930, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈdɛv.əlz\.
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 30901, this pair ranks #307,292 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défis vs devils
Shared letters: dis. Private to "défis": fé. Private to "devils": elv.
"défis" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "devils" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- devils ← ddevils · deivls · devills · devilss · devisl · devlis · devvils · dveils
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "défis" and "devils" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "défis" vs "devils" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "défis" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "devils" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #307,292 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défis" and "devils" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "devils vs devins". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #307,292 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.