degré

\də.ɡʁe\

/\də.ɡʁe\/ noun

The verdict

“degré” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,871 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,871
frequency rank, French
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Espace compris entre deux marches d’un escalier.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

degré vs der
60% similar
degré vs dre
40% similar
degré vs dire
40% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for degré
PropertyValue
Headworddegré
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\də.ɡʁe\
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,871
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “degré” 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). degré lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for degré is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \də.ɡʁe\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,871 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 17 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for degré, with forms such as "ddegré", "deggré", and "degre". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "der", "dre", "dire", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is degré, spelled D-E-G-R-É.

Definition

  1. 1
    Espace compris entre deux marches d’un escalier.
  2. 2
    Marche servant d’entrée ou de soubassement aux grands édifices.
  3. 3
    Nom donné aux marches se trouvant sous une croix.
  4. 4
    Escalier.
  5. 5
    Étape ou stade par où l’on passe d’un état dans un autre.
  6. 6
    Unité de mesure d’angle plan égale à 1/360 de la circonférence d’un cercle. Son symbole est °.
  7. 7
    Unité de mesure de longitude et latitude, permettant de situer un point précis à la surface de la Terre. Le symbole est un « ° » qualifié.
  8. 8
    Unité de mesure de la température sur plusieurs échelles comme le degré Celsius et le degré Fahrenheit. Le symbole est un « ° » qualifié (par ex. °C, °F, etc.).
  9. 9
    Unité de diverses échelles de mesure de la densité, de la viscosité, de la teneur en certaines substances, etc.
  10. 10
    Unité de diverses échelles de mesure de la densité, de la viscosité, de la teneur en certaines substances, etc.
  11. 11
    Pourcentage, teneur d’alcool dans un liquide, exprimée en proportion de volume d’alcool pur qui entre dans le mélange.
  12. 12
    Différence de plus ou de moins dans les qualités sensibles, proportion ou étendue.
  13. 13
    En parlant de parenté et de consanguinité, il marque la proximité ou l’éloignement qu’il y a entre parents, à l’égard de la ligne qui leur est commune.
  14. 14
    Le degré d’un polynôme est le plus haut degré de ses monômes ; le degré d'un monôme est la somme des exposants de ses variables. Par extension, degré d’une expression polynomiale décrivant un objet.
  15. 15
    Pour un sommet donné, nombre des arcs ou des arêtes qui le relient.
  16. 16
    Grades de bachelier, de licencié, de docteur.
  17. 17
    Nombre de notes au dessus de la tonique, celle-ci portant le numéro I (premier degré). Généralement écrit en chiffres romains par convention.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddegré,deggré,degre,degrré,degér,dergé,dgeré,edgré

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of degré - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddegré1deggré1degre1degrré1degér2dergé2dgeré2edgré2
Edit distance from "degré"

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 "degré"?
"degré" is spelled D-E-G-R-É. The IPA pronunciation is \də.ɡʁe\.
What does "degré" mean?
As a noun, "degré" means: Espace compris entre deux marches d’un escalier.
What words are commonly confused with "degré"?
"degré" is commonly confused with "der", "dre", "dire". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "degré"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "degré" is \də.ɡʁe\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "degré" come from?
"degré" 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 “degré”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-E-G-R-É - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \də.ɡʁe\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “der” - see the side-by-side comparison. degré vs der
  • 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