Which to use
“défunt” and “défunte” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,840
- “défunt” frequency rank
- #22,832
- “défunte” frequency rank
- 31672
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | défunt | défunte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Décédé ; mort ; feu. | Féminin singulier de défunt. |
Where the eye mixes défunt and défunte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. défunt runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against défunte's 7 (CVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses défunt with défunte
A purely visual mix-up. défunt (\de.fœ̃\) and défunte (\de.fœ̃t\) 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 extra letter(s) - “défunt” sits inside “défunte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31672, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
défunt is recorded at frequency rank #8,840, classified as anadj, pronounced \de.fœ̃\. défunte is at rank #22,832, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.fœ̃t\.
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 31672, this pair ranks #302,323 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of défunt vs défunte
Shared letters: dfntué. Private to "défunt": -. Private to "défunte": e.
"défunt" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "défunte" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "défunt" and "défunte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "défunt" vs "défunte" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "défunt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "défunte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #302,323 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "défunt" and "défunte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "déduite vs défunte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #302,323 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.