corps franc

\kɔʁ fʁɑ̃\

/\kɔʁ fʁɑ̃\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Unité de combat civile ou paramilitaire.

Key facts for corps franc
PropertyValue
Headwordcorps franc
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kɔʁ fʁɑ̃\
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “corps franc” sits in French frequency

corps franc 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

corps franc is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \kɔʁ fʁɑ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

corps franc has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is corps franc, spelled C-O-R-P-S- -F-R-A-N-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unité de combat civile ou paramilitaire.
  2. 2
    Groupe de combattants dont la tactique est celle du harcèlement ou du coup de main.

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 "corps franc"?
"corps franc" is spelled C-O-R-P-S- -F-R-A-N-C. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔʁ fʁɑ̃\.
What does "corps franc" mean?
As a noun, "corps franc" means: Unité de combat civile ou paramilitaire.
How do you pronounce "corps franc"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "corps franc" is \kɔʁ fʁɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "corps franc" come from?
"corps franc" 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 “corps franc”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-R-P-S- -F-R-A-N-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kɔʁ fʁɑ̃\ (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