bêche

\bɛʃ\

/\bɛʃ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“bêche” is uncommon French (frequency #50,696 among 227,490 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,696
frequency rank, French
227,490
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Outil formé d’un fer aplati et tranchant monté sur un manche de bois et qui sert à couper, creuser et à remuer la terre.

Key facts for bêche
PropertyValue
Headwordbêche
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\bɛʃ\
Letters5
Frequency rank#50,696
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bêche” 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). bêche 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

bêche is uncommon French at frequency #50,696 among 227,490 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \bɛʃ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for bêche, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No documented word history exists 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 bêche, spelled B-Ê-C-H-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Outil formé d’un fer aplati et tranchant monté sur un manche de bois et qui sert à couper, creuser et à remuer la terre.
  2. 2
    Genre de soc permettant d’ancrer un canon en terre.
  3. 3
    Fondation d'un mur quand celle-ci est plus large que le mur, de façon à lui donner une meilleure assise. Empâtement du bord d'une semelle de fondation.
  4. 4
    Coléoptère à corps plat et brillant, dont la larve détruit les bourgeons des arbres fruitiers et de la vigne.
  5. 5
    Nom donné à divers insectes qui rongent les bourgeons de la vigne, incluant plusieurs coléoptères tels l'eumolpe (Bromius obscurus), l'attelabe (Byctiscus betulae) et le rhynchite bacchus (Rhynchites bacchus), ainsi que des lépidoptères tels la pyrale de la vigne (Sparganothis pilleriana).
  6. 6
    Nom donné à certains bateaux à fond plat naviguant sur le Rhône.

Synonyms

bêchardbêchelonbêchoircoupe-bourgeonslisetlisettegribouritoue

This word in other languages

spade(English)laya(Español)Spaten(Deutsch)enxada(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 "bêche"?
"bêche" is spelled B-Ê-C-H-E. The IPA pronunciation is \bɛʃ\.
What does "bêche" mean?
As a noun, "bêche" means: Outil formé d’un fer aplati et tranchant monté sur un manche de bois et qui sert à couper, creuser et à remuer la terre.
How do you pronounce "bêche"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bêche" is \bɛʃ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bêche" come from?
"bêche" 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 “bêche”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-Ê-C-H-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \bɛʃ\ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list