contrefort

\kɔ̃.tʁə.fɔʁ\

/\kɔ̃.tʁə.fɔʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“contrefort” is uncommon French (frequency #65,809 among 257,141 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,809
frequency rank, French
257,141
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Mur servant d’appui à un autre mur pour éviter que ce dernier ne boucle sous l’effet d’une poussée latérale causée, entre autres, par le soutènement d’une terrasse ou d’une voûte.

Key facts for contrefort
PropertyValue
Headwordcontrefort
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kɔ̃.tʁə.fɔʁ\
Letters10
Frequency rank#65,809
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “contrefort” 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). contrefort lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

contrefort is uncommon French at frequency #65,809 among 257,141 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \kɔ̃.tʁə.fɔʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

contrefort has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is contrefort, spelled C-O-N-T-R-E-F-O-R-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mur servant d’appui à un autre mur pour éviter que ce dernier ne boucle sous l’effet d’une poussée latérale causée, entre autres, par le soutènement d’une terrasse ou d’une voûte.
  2. 2
    Chaînes de montagnes latérales qui sont comme les appuis de la chaîne principale dont elles dépendent.
  3. 3
    Bordure d’une montagne ou d’un causse.
  4. 4
    Pièce de cuir dont on fortifie le derrière de la chaussure au dessus du talon.
  5. 5
    Racine-contrefort.

Synonyms

antéride

This word in other languages

buttress(English)contrafuerte(Español)Stoß(Deutsch)

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 "contrefort"?
"contrefort" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-E-F-O-R-T. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔ̃.tʁə.fɔʁ\.
What does "contrefort" mean?
As a noun, "contrefort" means: Mur servant d’appui à un autre mur pour éviter que ce dernier ne boucle sous l’effet d’une poussée latérale causée, entre autres, par le soutènement d’une terrasse ou d’une voûte.
How do you pronounce "contrefort"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contrefort" is \kɔ̃.tʁə.fɔʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "contrefort" come from?
"contrefort" 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 “contrefort”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-N-T-R-E-F-O-R-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kɔ̃.tʁə.fɔʁ\ (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

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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