derrière

/ˌdɛɹiˈɛə(ɹ)/

//ˌdɛɹiˈɛə(ɹ)// noun

"derriere" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Bottom, bum, backside.

Corpus desk

Index EN-derriere · derrière · English

derrière · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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 derrière
PropertyValue
Headwordderrière
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌdɛɹiˈɛə(ɹ)/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “derrière” in English

derrièreranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

derrière is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌdɛɹiˈɛə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Bottom, bum, backside.".

No misspelling variants are generated for derrière in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French derrière. The correct English form is derrière, spelled D-E-R-R-I-È-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Bottom, bum, backside.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. As for high-heels, they hoist the derrière and make the gait more feminine and physically attractive.

Etymology

Borrowed from French derrière.

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 "derrière"?
"derrière" is spelled D-E-R-R-I-È-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdɛɹiˈɛə(ɹ)/.
What does "derrière" mean?
As a noun, "derrière" means: Bottom, bum, backside.
How do you pronounce "derrière"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "derrière" is /ˌdɛɹiˈɛə(ɹ)/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "derrière"?
Borrowed from French derrière. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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