distance
French, noun
distance is spelled D-I-S-T-A-N-C-E (8 letters) and appears 55 times per million words in written French, the 1,513th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Distance is a French feminine noun meaning “distance (literal physical distance)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is also a first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive of distancer. With an accent, distancé is a different word: “past participle of distancer”. The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Intervalle ; longueur”.
What does distance mean in English?
noun
- 1
femininedistance (literal physical distance)
On se tient à distance de deux kilomètres l'un de l'autre.
- 2
femininedistance (metaphoric or figurative)
Il convient de la tenir à une certaine distance.
verb
- 1
first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
- 2
second-person singular imperative
verb
- 1
past participle of distancer
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Intervalle ; longueur. 2. Intervalle de temps. 3. Différence de nature, de statut ou de classe sociale.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of distance
- distances plural
- distancée feminine
- distancés masculine plural
- distancées feminine plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to distance
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is distance in French?
distance appears 55 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).