abyss

Name: abyss, French Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

\əˈbɪs\

/\əˈbɪs\/ noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“abyss” is uncommon French (frequency #72,876 among 424,905 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,876
frequency rank, French: 424,905
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Abîme, abysse.

Key facts for abyss
Property	Value
Headword	abyss
Language	French
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	\əˈbɪs\
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#72,876
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “abyss” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). abyss lands here:

#72,876

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

abyss is uncommon French at frequency #72,876 among 424,905 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \əˈbɪs\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Abîme, abysse.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for abyss, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is abyss, spelled A-B-Y-S-S.

Definition

1
Abîme, abysse.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "abyss"?

"abyss" is spelled A-B-Y-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is \əˈbɪs\.

What does "abyss" mean?

As a noun, "abyss" means: Abîme, abysse.

How do you pronounce "abyss"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abyss" is \əˈbɪs\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What language does "abyss" come from?

"abyss" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.

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.

Using “abyss”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct French spelling is A-B-Y-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as \əˈbɪs\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.