arrière-plan

\a.ʁjɛʁ.plɑ̃\

/\a.ʁjɛʁ.plɑ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Plan en arrière d’un autre, le plan le plus à l’arrière.

Key facts for arrière-plan
PropertyValue
Headwordarrière-plan
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\a.ʁjɛʁ.plɑ̃\
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “arrière-plan” sits in French frequency

arrière-plan falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

arrière-plan is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \a.ʁjɛʁ.plɑ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for arrière-plan in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is arrière-plan, spelled A-R-R-I-È-R-E---P-L-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Plan en arrière d’un autre, le plan le plus à l’arrière.
  2. 2
    Se dit de quelqu’un qu’on laisse ou qui reste volontairement à l’écart, dans une position peu en vue.
  3. 3
    Image employée comme fond d’écran.
  4. 4
    Opposé du frontal.

This word in other languages

background(English)trasfondo(Español)Hintergrund(Deutsch)

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 "arrière-plan"?
"arrière-plan" is spelled A-R-R-I-È-R-E---P-L-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is \a.ʁjɛʁ.plɑ̃\.
What does "arrière-plan" mean?
As a noun, "arrière-plan" means: Plan en arrière d’un autre, le plan le plus à l’arrière.
How do you pronounce "arrière-plan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "arrière-plan" is \a.ʁjɛʁ.plɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "arrière-plan" come from?
"arrière-plan" 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 “arrière-plan”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is A-R-R-I-È-R-E---P-L-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \a.ʁjɛʁ.plɑ̃\ (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
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