bis

Name: bis, French Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

\bi\

/\bi\/ adj

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“bis” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #7,530 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#7,530
frequency rank, French: 3
letters: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui est d’un gris beige foncé #766F64 ou clair #F1E2BE.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bis vs by

33% similar

bis vs bu

33% similar

bis vs Br

0% similar

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

Key facts for bis
Property	Value
Headword	bis
Language	French
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	\bi\
Letters	3
Frequency rank	#7,530
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bis” 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). bis lands here:

#7,530

#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 bis is 3 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \bi\. Corpus data places it at rank #7,530 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

bis doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "by", "bu", "Br", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is bis, spelled B-I-S.

Definition

1
Qui est d’un gris beige foncé #766F64 ou clair #F1E2BE.
2
Qui contient un peu de son, en parlant d’un pain ; semi-complet.

This word in other languages

brown(English)bazo(Español)

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 "bis"?

"bis" is spelled B-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is \bi\.

What does "bis" mean?

As an adjective, "bis" means: Qui est d’un gris beige foncé #766F64 ou clair #F1E2BE.

What words are commonly confused with "bis"?

"bis" is commonly confused with "by", "bu", "Br". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "bis"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bis" is \bi\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What language does "bis" come from?

"bis" 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 “bis”

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

The one correct French spelling is B-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as \bi\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “by” - see the side-by-side comparison. bis vs by
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.