Which to use
“dépense” is a noun and “dépensent” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,855
- “dépense” frequency rank
- #23,847
- “dépensent” frequency rank
- 28702
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dépense | dépensent |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | L’argent qu’on emploie à quelque chose que ce puisse être. | Troisième personne du pluriel du présent de l’indicatif de dépenser. |
Same sound, different letters: dépense vs dépensent
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 7 letters.
Homophone desk: dépense vs dépensent
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: dépense and dépensent carry the same recorded pronunciation, \de.pɑ̃s\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “dépense” sits inside “dépensent”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28702, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dépense is recorded at frequency rank #4,855, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.pɑ̃s\. dépensent is at rank #23,847, tagged as averb, pronounced \de.pɑ̃s\.
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 28702, this pair ranks #321,218 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dépense vs dépensent
Shared letters: denpsé. Private to "dépense": -. Private to "dépensent": t.
"dépense" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "dépensent" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dépense" and "dépensent" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dépense" or "dépensent"?
After this comparison
You've separated the homophone pair "dépense" / "dépensent". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "dépense" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dépensent" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #321,218 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dépense" and "dépensent" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dépensant vs dépensent". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #321,218 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.