citoyen

\si.twa.jɛ̃\

/\si.twa.jɛ̃\/ noun

The verdict

“citoyen” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,866 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,866
frequency rank, French
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Homme libre de l’Empire romain, doté de droits politiques dans une cité. En 212, l’empereur Caracalla étend le droit de citoyenneté romaine à l’ensemble des hommes libres de l’empire romain.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

citoyen vs côtoyé
57% similar
citoyen vs côtoyer
71% similar
citoyen vs citoyens
88% similar

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

Key facts for citoyen
PropertyValue
Headwordcitoyen
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\si.twa.jɛ̃\
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,866
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “citoyen” 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). citoyen 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 citoyen is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \si.twa.jɛ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,866 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for citoyen, with forms such as "ccitoyen", "ciotyen", and "citoeyn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "côtoyé", "côtoyer", "citoyens", 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 citoyen, spelled C-I-T-O-Y-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Homme libre de l’Empire romain, doté de droits politiques dans une cité. En 212, l’empereur Caracalla étend le droit de citoyenneté romaine à l’ensemble des hommes libres de l’empire romain.
  2. 2
    Homme libre appartenant au corps civique dans les cités de la Grèce antique.
  3. 3
    Personne faisant partie de ceux qui, dans un État organisé, jouissent des mêmes droits et obéissent aux mêmes lois.
  4. 4
    Personne faisant partie de ceux qui, dans un État organisé, jouissent des mêmes droits et obéissent aux mêmes lois.
  5. 5
    Celui qui habite dans une ville et y jouit du droit de cité.
  6. 6
    Appellation que, dans certains milieux, en particulier pendant la Révolution française, on substitue à monsieur.
  7. 7
    Type, gars, individu.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccitoyen,ciotyen,citoeyn,citoyenn,citoyne,citoyyen,cittoyen,cityoen,ctioyen,ictoyen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccitoyen1ciotyen2citoeyn2citoyenn1citoyne2citoyyen1cittoyen1cityoen2
Edit distance from "citoyen"

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 "citoyen"?
"citoyen" is spelled C-I-T-O-Y-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \si.twa.jɛ̃\.
What does "citoyen" mean?
As a noun, "citoyen" means: Homme libre de l’Empire romain, doté de droits politiques dans une cité. En 212, l’empereur Caracalla étend le droit de citoyenneté romaine à l’ensemble des hommes libres de l’empire romain.
What words are commonly confused with "citoyen"?
"citoyen" is commonly confused with "côtoyé", "côtoyer", "citoyens". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "citoyen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "citoyen" is \si.twa.jɛ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "citoyen" come from?
"citoyen" 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 “citoyen”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-I-T-O-Y-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \si.twa.jɛ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “côtoyé” - see the side-by-side comparison. citoyen vs côtoyé
  • 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