How to pronounce "défense" in English
diˈfɛns
dee·FENS
Primary stress: FENS
We haven’t indexed spoken video clips for this word in our library yet. You can listen to its audio pronunciation, review phonetic IPA, and check definitions below.
No video clips indexed yet for “défense”
We haven’t indexed spoken video clips for this word in our library yet. You can listen to its audio pronunciation, review phonetic IPA, and check definitions below.
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “défense”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
dee
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
FENS
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("FENS"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When followed by a vowel, insert a subtle glide (/w/ or /j/) to connect into the subsequent word without an abrupt glottal stop.
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "défense" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Practice Speaking “défense”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
Their team relies heavily on a strong dfense to win games.
Hear it in context: “défense”
The English word “défense” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as diˈfɛns (phonetic respelling: dee-FENS). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (dee · FENS), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (FENS). Grammatically, “défense” functions as a noun. Hear native speakers say défense in context across real video clips
Definition & Meaning: “défense”
- A common misspelling or stylized abbreviation of defense, referring to the action of defending from or resisting attack.
Example Sentences (1)
- “Their team relies heavily on a strong dfense to win games.”
Pronounce: “défense”
- Pronunciation:
- dee-FENS
- Syllables:
- dee · FENS
- Written Hyphenation:
- d · fense
- Primary stress:
- FENS
- IPA:
- diˈfɛns
- Hear it in context
- défense
Words that Rhyme with “défense”
-ɛnsWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"défense" (⁄diˈfɛns⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "défense" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about défense
How do you pronounce “défense”?
“défense” is pronounced ⁄diˈfɛns⁄ (dee-FENS). Listen to the audio pronunciation above to hear it spoken clearly.
How many syllables are in “défense”?
“défense” has 2 syllables: dee · FENS.
Where is the stress in “défense”?
The primary stress in “défense” is on “FENS”.
What does “défense” mean?
A common misspelling or stylized abbreviation of defense, referring to the action of defending from or resisting attack.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “défense”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).