an

\ɑ̃\

/\ɑ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“an” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #363 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#363
frequency rank, French
2
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Temps que met la Terre à accomplir une révolution autour du Soleil et qui se divise en douze mois. Année (voir Notes plus bas).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

an vs au
50% similar
an vs As
0% similar
an vs at
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for an
PropertyValue
Headwordan
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɑ̃\
Letters2
Frequency rank#363
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “an” 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). an lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for an is 2 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɑ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #363 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for an in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "au", "As", "at", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, 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 an, spelled A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Temps que met la Terre à accomplir une révolution autour du Soleil et qui se divise en douze mois. Année (voir Notes plus bas).
  2. 2
    L'une des années du calendrier républicain des Français, commencée le 22 septembre 1792.
  3. 3
    Le temps qui passe.
  4. 4
    Période de révolution d’une autre planète.

Synonyms

année

This word in other languages

year(English)año(Español)Jahr(Deutsch)ano(Português)

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 "an"?
"an" is spelled A-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ɑ̃\.
What does "an" mean?
As a noun, "an" means: Temps que met la Terre à accomplir une révolution autour du Soleil et qui se divise en douze mois. Année (voir Notes plus bas).
What words are commonly confused with "an"?
"an" is commonly confused with "au", "As", "at". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "an"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "an" is \ɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "an" come from?
"an" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “an”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɑ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “au” - see the side-by-side comparison. an vs au
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list