contravariance

\kɔ̃.tʁa.va.ʁjɑ̃s\

/\kɔ̃.tʁa.va.ʁjɑ̃s\/ noun

The verdict

“contravariance” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ordre inverse de données produit par un opérateur. Définition manquante ou à compléter. (Ajouter)

Key facts for contravariance
PropertyValue
Headwordcontravariance
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kɔ̃.tʁa.va.ʁjɑ̃s\
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “contravariance” sits in French frequency

contravariance falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

contravariance is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \kɔ̃.tʁa.va.ʁjɑ̃s\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for contravariance, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is contravariance, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-V-A-R-I-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ordre inverse de données produit par un opérateur. Définition manquante ou à compléter. (Ajouter)
  2. 2
    Propriété des types des arguments d'une méthode qui hérite par surcharge, de devenir plus généraux.

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "contravariance"?
"contravariance" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-V-A-R-I-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔ̃.tʁa.va.ʁjɑ̃s\.
What does "contravariance" mean?
As a noun, "contravariance" means: Ordre inverse de données produit par un opérateur. Définition manquante ou à compléter. (Ajouter)
How do you pronounce "contravariance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contravariance" is \kɔ̃.tʁa.va.ʁjɑ̃s\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "contravariance" come from?
"contravariance" 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 “contravariance”

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

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