Femme fatale

[ˌfamfaˈtal]

/[ˌfamfaˈtal]/ noun

The verdict

“Femme fatale” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - verführerische Frau, die ihren Partnern oft zum Verhängnis wird

Corpus desk

Index DE-femme-fatale · Femme fatale · German

Femme fatale · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "F" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for Femme fatale
PropertyValue
HeadwordFemme fatale
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˌfamfaˈtal]
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Femme fatale“ im Deutschen

Femme fataleliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Femme fatale is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˌfamfaˈtal]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "verführerische Frau, die ihren Partnern oft zum Verhängnis wird".

Zero misspellings are on record for Femme fatale in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Femme fatale, spelled F-E-M-M-E- -F-A-T-A-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    verführerische Frau, die ihren Partnern oft zum Verhängnis wird

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how Femme fatale appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. „Wenn das entscheidende Charakteristikum für eine Femme fatale darin liegt, dass sie den Untergang des Mannes herbeiführen will, wie dies bei den Protagonistinnen des Fin de Siècle der Fall ist und in den meisten Definitionsversuchen konstatiert wird, so entspricht Carmen diesem Stereotyp nicht.“

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Femme fatale"?
"Femme fatale" is spelled F-E-M-M-E- -F-A-T-A-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˌfamfaˈtal].
What does "Femme fatale" mean?
As a noun, "Femme fatale" means: verführerische Frau, die ihren Partnern oft zum Verhängnis wird
How do you pronounce "Femme fatale"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Femme fatale" is [ˌfamfaˈtal]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Femme fatale" come from?
"Femme fatale" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list