alten

\ˈaltn̩\

/\ˈaltn̩\/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“alten” is uncommon French (frequency #53,119 among 424,905 “A” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,119
frequency rank, French
424,905
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Accusatif masculin singulier de la déclinaison faible de alt.

Key facts for alten
PropertyValue
Headwordalten
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ˈaltn̩\
Letters5
Frequency rank#53,119
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “alten” 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). alten lands here:

#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

alten is uncommon French at frequency #53,119 among 424,905 “A” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed \ˈaltn̩\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 20 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for alten in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is alten, spelled A-L-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Accusatif masculin singulier de la déclinaison faible de alt.
  2. 2
    Accusatif masculin singulier de la déclinaison forte de alt.
  3. 3
    Accusatif masculin singulier de la déclinaison mixte de alt.
  4. 4
    Datif féminin singulier de la déclinaison faible de alt.
  5. 5
    Datif féminin singulier de la déclinaison mixte de alt.
  6. 6
    Datif masculin singulier de la déclinaison faible de alt.
  7. 7
    Datif masculin singulier de la déclinaison mixte de alt.
  8. 8
    Datif neutre singulier de la déclinaison faible de alt.
  9. 9
    Datif neutre singulier de la déclinaison mixte de alt.
  10. 10
    Datif pluriel (à tous les genres) de la déclinaison forte de alt.
  11. 11
    Génitif féminin singulier de la déclinaison faible de alt.
  12. 12
    Génitif féminin singulier de la déclinaison mixte de alt.
  13. 13
    Génitif masculin singulier de la déclinaison faible de alt.
  14. 14
    Génitif masculin singulier de la déclinaison forte de alt.
  15. 15
    Génitif masculin singulier de la déclinaison mixte de alt.
  16. 16
    Génitif neutre singulier de la déclinaison faible de alt.
  17. 17
    Génitif neutre singulier de la déclinaison forte de alt.
  18. 18
    Génitif neutre singulier de la déclinaison mixte de alt.
  19. 19
    Pluriel (à tous les cas et à tous les genres) de la déclinaison faible de alt.
  20. 20
    Pluriel (à tous les cas et à tous les genres) de la déclinaison mixte de alt.

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 "alten"?
"alten" is spelled A-L-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈaltn̩\.
What does "alten" mean?
As an adjective, "alten" means: Accusatif masculin singulier de la déclinaison faible de alt.
How do you pronounce "alten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alten" is \ˈaltn̩\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "alten" come from?
"alten" is a French 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.

Using “alten”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is A-L-T-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈaltn̩\ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list