defence and defense are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. defence means “(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires”. defense means “(military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies”. defense is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/dɪˈfɛns/
1.n.(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
2.n.(sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring
“his teams are always good on defense”
3.n.the defendant and his legal advisors collectively
“the defense called for a mistrial”
| defence | defense | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /dɪˈfɛns/ | /dɪˈfɛns/ |
| Said | di-FENS | di-FENS |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 7 | 7 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun |
| Senses | 11 | 12 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | defense mechanism, defense reaction, defence mechanism | defence, defensive measure |
Full entry for defence · Full entry for defense · More comparisons
/dɪˈfɛns/
1.n.(military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
“they died in the defense of Stalingrad”
2.n.protection from harm
“sanitation is the best defense against disease”
3.n.(sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring
“his teams are always good on defense”