déferlent

\de.fɛʁl\

/\de.fɛʁl\/ verb

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

The verdict

“déferlent” is uncommon French (frequency #61,473 among 404,891 “D” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,473
frequency rank, French
404,891
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Troisième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de déferler.

Key facts for déferlent
PropertyValue
Headworddéferlent
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\de.fɛʁl\
Letters9
Frequency rank#61,473
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “déferlent” 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). déferlent 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

déferlent is uncommon French at frequency #61,473 among 404,891 “D” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed \de.fɛʁl\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

déferlent has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, 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 déferlent, spelled D-É-F-E-R-L-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Troisième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de déferler.
  2. 2
    Troisième personne du pluriel du subjonctif présent de déferler.

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 "déferlent"?
"déferlent" is spelled D-É-F-E-R-L-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is \de.fɛʁl\.
What does "déferlent" mean?
As a verb, "déferlent" means: Troisième personne du pluriel de l’indicatif présent de déferler.
How do you pronounce "déferlent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "déferlent" is \de.fɛʁl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "déferlent" come from?
"déferlent" 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 “déferlent”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-É-F-E-R-L-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \de.fɛʁl\ (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