appuyer

\a.pɥi.je\

/\a.pɥi.je\/ verb

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

The verdict

“appuyer” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,546 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#4,546
frequency rank, French
7
letters
8
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Placer contre quelque chose.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

appuyer vs appuyés
71% similar
appuyer vs appuyez
86% similar
appuyer vs appuie
71% similar

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

Key facts for appuyer
PropertyValue
Headwordappuyer
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\a.pɥi.je\
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,546
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “appuyer” 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). appuyer 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 appuyer is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \a.pɥi.je\. Corpus data places it at rank #4,546 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for appuyer, with forms such as "appueyr", "appuyerr", and "appuyre". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "appuyés", "appuyez", "appuie", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, 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 appuyer, spelled A-P-P-U-Y-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Placer contre quelque chose.
  2. 2
    Soutenir ; motiver.
  3. 3
    Appliquer fortement l’éperon à un cheval.
  4. 4
    Demeurer plus ou moins longtemps sur une note.
  5. 5
    Pousser, exercer une pression sur quelque chose.
  6. 6
    Insister, faire comprendre par insistance.
  7. 7
    Prononcer un mot ou une syllabe avec une élévation de voix plus ou moins sensible.
  8. 8
    Accrocher une locomotive à une rame.
  9. 9
    Prendre appui sur quelque chose.
  10. 10
    Utiliser le soutien, l’autorité de quelqu’un ou de quelque chose.
  11. 11
    Consommer goulûment en quantité importante.
  12. 12
    Se farcir, subir.
  13. 13
    Donner, lancer.
  14. 14
    Prendre une direction.

Synonyms

accoteradosserpousserreposer

Antonyms

tirer

This word in other languages

put(English)apoyar(Español)anlegen(Deutsch)apoiar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: appueyr,appuyerr,appuyre,appuyyer,appyuer,apupyer,apuyer,papuyer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of appuyer - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

appueyr2appuyerr1appuyre2appuyyer1appyuer2apupyer2apuyer1papuyer2
Edit distance from "appuyer"

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 "appuyer"?
"appuyer" is spelled A-P-P-U-Y-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \a.pɥi.je\.
What does "appuyer" mean?
As a verb, "appuyer" means: Placer contre quelque chose.
What words are commonly confused with "appuyer"?
"appuyer" is commonly confused with "appuyés", "appuyez", "appuie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "appuyer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "appuyer" is \a.pɥi.je\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "appuyer" come from?
"appuyer" 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 “appuyer”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is A-P-P-U-Y-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \a.pɥi.je\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “appuyés” - see the side-by-side comparison. appuyer vs appuyés
  • 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