bégayer

\be.ɡe.je\

/\be.ɡe.je\/ verb

The verdict

“bégayer” is an uncommon French word, ranked #67,344 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#67,344
frequency rank, French
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Articuler mal les mots, les prononcer en hésitant et en répétant la même syllabe avant de prononcer celle qui suit.

Key facts for bégayer
PropertyValue
Headwordbégayer
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\be.ɡe.je\
Letters7
Frequency rank#67,344
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bégayer” 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). bégayer 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 bégayer is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \be.ɡe.je\. Corpus data places it at rank #67,344 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for bégayer in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is bégayer, spelled B-É-G-A-Y-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Articuler mal les mots, les prononcer en hésitant et en répétant la même syllabe avant de prononcer celle qui suit.
  2. 2
    En parlant des petits enfants, arriver difficilement à articuler des mots à l'étape de l'apprentissage de la parole.
  3. 3
    Parler de quelque chose d’une manière très vague, très imparfaite.
  4. 4
    Reproduire les mêmes choses sans avancer.
  5. 5
    Commencer à apprendre à parler.
  6. 6
    Parler avec une voix mal assurée.

This word in other languages

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 "bégayer"?
"bégayer" is spelled B-É-G-A-Y-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \be.ɡe.je\.
What does "bégayer" mean?
As a verb, "bégayer" means: Articuler mal les mots, les prononcer en hésitant et en répétant la même syllabe avant de prononcer celle qui suit.
How do you pronounce "bégayer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bégayer" is \be.ɡe.je\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bégayer" come from?
"bégayer" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “bégayer”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-É-G-A-Y-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \be.ɡe.je\ (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