contrariant

\kɔ̃.tʁa.ʁjɑ̃\

/\kɔ̃.tʁa.ʁjɑ̃\/ adj

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

The verdict

“contrariant” is an uncommon French word, ranked #71,384 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#71,384
frequency rank, French
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui aime à contrarier, en parlant d'une personne.

Key facts for contrariant
PropertyValue
Headwordcontrariant
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\kɔ̃.tʁa.ʁjɑ̃\
Letters11
Frequency rank#71,384
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “contrariant” 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). contrariant 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 contrariant is 11 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kɔ̃.tʁa.ʁjɑ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #71,384 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for contrariant, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is contrariant, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-R-I-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui aime à contrarier, en parlant d'une personne.
  2. 2
    Qui est de nature à contrarier, en parlant d'une chose.

This word in other languages

contrary(English)

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 "contrariant"?
"contrariant" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-R-I-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔ̃.tʁa.ʁjɑ̃\.
What does "contrariant" mean?
As an adjective, "contrariant" means: Qui aime à contrarier, en parlant d'une personne.
How do you pronounce "contrariant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contrariant" is \kɔ̃.tʁa.ʁjɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "contrariant" come from?
"contrariant" 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 “contrariant”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-N-T-R-A-R-I-A-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kɔ̃.tʁa.ʁjɑ̃\ (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