défoncervsdéfoncésWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: défoncer is a verb, défoncés is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#12,145
“défoncer” frequency rank
#36,362
“défoncés” frequency rank
48507
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature défoncer défoncés
Definition Dégarnir de son fond. Masculin pluriel de défoncé.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set défoncer and défoncés apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
défoncer
8 ch
défoncés

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Say them out loud and nothing separates them: défoncer and défoncés carry the same recorded pronunciation, \de.fɔ̃.se\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is averb, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48507, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

défoncer is recorded at frequency rank #12,145, classified as averb, pronounced \de.fɔ̃.se\. défoncés is at rank #36,362, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.fɔ̃.se\.

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 48507, this pair ranks #178,359 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of défoncer vs défoncés

Shared letters: cdfnoé. Private to "défoncer": er. Private to "défoncés": s.

"défoncer" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "défoncés" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

défoncer#12,145
défoncés#36,362

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "défoncer" and "défoncés" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "défoncer" is a verb and "défoncés" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "défoncer" or "défoncés"?
"défoncer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,145 in our French list, against #36,362 for "défoncés". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering défoncer vs défoncés

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “défoncer”; for an adjective, it's “défoncés”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “défoncer” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list