ɐn ˈɛn tˈaɪmz ˈɛn dᵻfˈɛktɪv mˈeɪtɹɪks ˈɔːlweɪz hɐz fjˈuːɚ ðɐn ˈɛn dɪstˈɪŋkt ˈaɪdʒənvˌæljuːz, sˈɪns dɪstˈɪŋkt ˈaɪdʒənvˌæljuːz ˈɔːlweɪz hæv lˈɪnɪɹli ˌɪndᵻpˈɛndənt ˈaɪdʒənvˌɛktɚz.
An n × n defective matrix always has fewer than n distinct eigenvalues, since distinct eigenvalues always have linearly independent eigenvectors.