dantesque

\dɑ̃.tɛsk\

/\dɑ̃.tɛsk\/ adj

The verdict

“dantesque” is uncommon French (frequency #57,863 among 404,891 “D” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,863
frequency rank, French
404,891
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Propre à Dante Alighieri, qui imite ou rappelle son œuvre.

Key facts for dantesque
PropertyValue
Headworddantesque
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\dɑ̃.tɛsk\
Letters9
Frequency rank#57,863
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dantesque” 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). dantesque 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

dantesque is uncommon French at frequency #57,863 among 404,891 “D” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed \dɑ̃.tɛsk\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for dantesque in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is dantesque, spelled D-A-N-T-E-S-Q-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Propre à Dante Alighieri, qui imite ou rappelle son œuvre.
  2. 2
    Grandiose dans l’horreur, terrifiant, en référence à sa description de l’enfer dans la Divine Comédie.
  3. 3
    D’une très grande horreur.

Synonyms

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); 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 "dantesque"?
"dantesque" is spelled D-A-N-T-E-S-Q-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is \dɑ̃.tɛsk\.
What does "dantesque" mean?
As an adjective, "dantesque" means: Propre à Dante Alighieri, qui imite ou rappelle son œuvre.
How do you pronounce "dantesque"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dantesque" is \dɑ̃.tɛsk\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "dantesque" come from?
"dantesque" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “dantesque”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-A-N-T-E-S-Q-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \dɑ̃.tɛsk\ (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