comprendre

\kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃dʁ\

/\kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃dʁ\/ verb

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

The verdict

“comprendre” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #600 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#600
frequency rank, French
10
letters
16
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Contenir en soi.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

comprendre vs comprends
80% similar
comprendre vs comprenne
80% similar
comprendre vs comprendrez
91% similar

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

Key facts for comprendre
PropertyValue
Headwordcomprendre
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃dʁ\
Letters10
Frequency rank#600
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “comprendre” 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). comprendre 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 comprendre is 10 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃dʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #600 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for comprendre, with forms such as "ccomprendre", "cmoprendre", and "commprendre". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "comprends", "comprenne", "comprendrez", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is comprendre, spelled C-O-M-P-R-E-N-D-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Contenir en soi.
  2. 2
    Faire entrer dans un ensemble.
  3. 3
    Embrasser ou saisir par l’intelligence.
  4. 4
    Saisir le sens d’un mot, d’une langue, etc.
  5. 5
    Concevoir ou se faire une juste idée de quelque chose.
  6. 6
    Bien saisir les explications, les ordres qu’il donne, la langue qu’il parle, etc., en parlant de quelqu’un.
  7. 7
    Croire à tort, se méprendre.
  8. 8
    Se dit de deux personnes qui ont une grande connaissance l’une de l’autre, avec une nuance de sympathie, d’intimité.
  9. 9
    Être compréhensible, imaginable ou concevable.

Synonyms

entendreentraverpigersaisir

Antonyms

ignorer

This word in other languages

comprise(English)caber(Español)umfassen(Deutsch)compreender(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccomprendre,cmoprendre,commprendre,comperndre,compprendre,comprednre,comprenddre,comprender,comprendrre,comprenndre,comprenrde,comprnedre,comprrendre,comrpendre,copmrendre,ocmprendre

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of comprendre - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccomprendre1cmoprendre2commprendre1comperndre2compprendre1comprednre2comprenddre1comprender2
Edit distance from "comprendre"

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 "comprendre"?
"comprendre" is spelled C-O-M-P-R-E-N-D-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃dʁ\.
What does "comprendre" mean?
As a verb, "comprendre" means: Contenir en soi.
What words are commonly confused with "comprendre"?
"comprendre" is commonly confused with "comprends", "comprenne", "comprendrez". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "comprendre"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "comprendre" is \kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃dʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "comprendre" come from?
"comprendre" 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 “comprendre”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-M-P-R-E-N-D-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃dʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “comprends” - see the side-by-side comparison. comprendre vs comprends
  • 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