détergent

\de.tɛʁ.ʒɑ̃\

/\de.tɛʁ.ʒɑ̃\/ adj

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

The verdict

“détergent” is an uncommon French word, ranked #51,428 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#51,428
frequency rank, French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui possède des propriétés nettoyantes vis-à-vis d’une surface solide souillée.

Key facts for détergent
PropertyValue
Headworddétergent
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\de.tɛʁ.ʒɑ̃\
Letters9
Frequency rank#51,428
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “détergent” 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). détergent 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 détergent is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \de.tɛʁ.ʒɑ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #51,428 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

détergent doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is détergent, spelled D-É-T-E-R-G-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui possède des propriétés nettoyantes vis-à-vis d’une surface solide souillée.
  2. 2
    Qui déterge.

Synonyms

détersif

This word in other languages

cleaning(English)

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 "détergent"?
"détergent" is spelled D-É-T-E-R-G-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is \de.tɛʁ.ʒɑ̃\.
What does "détergent" mean?
As an adjective, "détergent" means: Qui possède des propriétés nettoyantes vis-à-vis d’une surface solide souillée.
How do you pronounce "détergent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "détergent" is \de.tɛʁ.ʒɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "détergent" come from?
"détergent" 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 “détergent”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-É-T-E-R-G-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \de.tɛʁ.ʒɑ̃\ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list