censeur

\sɑ̃.sœʁ\

/\sɑ̃.sœʁ\/ noun

The verdict

“censeur” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #39,203 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#39,203
frequency rank, French
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Magistrat romain chargé d’établir le cens, c’est-à-dire le recensement des citoyens, le contrôle de l’état de leur fortune, et la légitimité de leur appartenance à telle ou telle classe (sénatorial...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

censeur vs cesser
71% similar
censeur vs center
71% similar
censeur vs censure
71% similar

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

Key facts for censeur
PropertyValue
Headwordcenseur
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\sɑ̃.sœʁ\
Letters7
Frequency rank#39,203
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “censeur” 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). censeur 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 censeur is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \sɑ̃.sœʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #39,203 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.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for censeur, with forms such as "ccenseur", "cenesur", and "cennseur". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "cesser", "center", "censure", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, 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 censeur, spelled C-E-N-S-E-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Magistrat romain chargé d’établir le cens, c’est-à-dire le recensement des citoyens, le contrôle de l’état de leur fortune, et la légitimité de leur appartenance à telle ou telle classe (sénatoriale ou équestre).
  2. 2
    Envieux qui reprend ou qui contrôle les actions d’autrui, sans pour autant être le moins du monde qualifié pour ça ; casse-pieds qui trouve à redire à tout.
  3. 3
    Personne qu’un gouvernement prépose à l’examen des livres, des journaux, des pièces de théâtre, etc., avant d’en permettre la publication ou la représentation.
  4. 4
    Personne chargée de surveiller les études et de maintenir le bon ordre et la discipline dans un lycée en tant qu’adjoint du proviseur.
  5. 5
    Personne chargée de contrôler la partie financière de certains établissements ou de certaines sociétés.
  6. 6
    Critique qui juge des œuvres littéraires.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccenseur,cenesur,cennseur,censeru,censeurr,censseur,cesneur,cneseur,ecnseur

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccenseur1cenesur2cennseur1censeru2censeurr1censseur1cesneur2cneseur2
Edit distance from "censeur"

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 "censeur"?
"censeur" is spelled C-E-N-S-E-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is \sɑ̃.sœʁ\.
What does "censeur" mean?
As a noun, "censeur" means: Magistrat romain chargé d’établir le cens, c’est-à-dire le recensement des citoyens, le contrôle de l’état de leur fortune, et la légitimité de leur appartenance à telle ou telle classe (sénatorial...
What words are commonly confused with "censeur"?
"censeur" is commonly confused with "cesser", "center", "censure". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "censeur"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "censeur" is \sɑ̃.sœʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "censeur" come from?
"censeur" 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 “censeur”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-E-N-S-E-U-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \sɑ̃.sœʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “cesser” - see the side-by-side comparison. censeur vs cesser
  • 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