descendre

\de.sɑ̃dʁ\

/\de.sɑ̃dʁ\/ verb

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

The verdict

“descendre” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #3,835 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#3,835
frequency rank, French
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Aller de haut en bas.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

descendre vs descente
78% similar
descendre vs détendre
67% similar
descendre vs descendu
78% similar

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

Key facts for descendre
PropertyValue
Headworddescendre
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\de.sɑ̃dʁ\
Letters9
Frequency rank#3,835
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “descendre” 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). descendre 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 descendre is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \de.sɑ̃dʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #3,835 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 26 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for descendre, with forms such as "ddescendre", "decsendre", and "desccendre". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "descente", "détendre", "descendu", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is descendre, spelled D-E-S-C-E-N-D-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Aller de haut en bas.
  2. 2
    Aller de l’amont vers l’aval. Suivre un cours d’eau dans le sens du courant.
  3. 3
    Aller du nord vers le sud.
  4. 4
    Débarquer.
  5. 5
    Faire irruption à main armée.
  6. 6
    Mettre pied à terre ; sortir d’un véhicule.
  7. 7
    Examiner soigneusement, consulter, interroger.
  8. 8
    Rapporter ou examiner les particularités, les circonstances.
  9. 9
    Se transporter en quelque endroit pour y procéder à un examen ou à toute autre opération.
  10. 10
    S’abaisser à.
  11. 11
    Déchoir.
  12. 12
    tendre, se diriger, être porté ou poussé de haut en bas.
  13. 13
    Baisser.
  14. 14
    S’étendre de haut en bas.
  15. 15
    Aller en pente.
  16. 16
    Passer de l’aigu au grave.
  17. 17
    Être issu, tirer son origine d’une personne, d’une race.
  18. 18
    Aller de haut en bas et le terme désignant l’espace parcouru en allant de haut en bas se construit comme un complément d’objet direct.
  19. 19
    Suivre un cours d’eau.
  20. 20
    Transporter une chose ou une personne d’un lieu haut pour la mettre plus bas.
  21. 21
    Tuer, abattre ou mettre à terre.
  22. 22
    Critiquer violemment, mettre en pièces.
  23. 23
    Boire, parfois manger, sans retenue.
  24. 24
    Pour un comédien, se déplacer du fond de la scène du théâtre vers le public.
  25. 25
    Aller loger chez quelqu'un.
  26. 26
    Rentrer du travail.

Antonyms

monterremonter

This word in other languages

come down(English)bajar(Español)absteigen(Deutsch)descer(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddescendre,decsendre,desccendre,descednre,descenddre,descender,descendrre,descenndre,descenrde,descnedre,desecndre,desscendre,dsecendre,edscendre

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddescendre1decsendre2desccendre1descednre2descenddre1descender2descendrre1descenndre1
Edit distance from "descendre"

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 "descendre"?
"descendre" is spelled D-E-S-C-E-N-D-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \de.sɑ̃dʁ\.
What does "descendre" mean?
As a verb, "descendre" means: Aller de haut en bas.
What words are commonly confused with "descendre"?
"descendre" is commonly confused with "descente", "détendre", "descendu". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "descendre"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "descendre" is \de.sɑ̃dʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "descendre" come from?
"descendre" 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 “descendre”

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

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