effet

\e.fɛ\

/\e.fɛ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“effet” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #270 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#270
frequency rank, French
5
letters
5
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ce qui est produit par quelque cause.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

effet vs eft
60% similar
effet vs émet
40% similar
effet vs elfe
60% similar

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

Key facts for effet
PropertyValue
Headwordeffet
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\e.fɛ\
Letters5
Frequency rank#270
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “effet” 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). effet 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 effet is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \e.fɛ\. Corpus data places it at rank #270 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for effet, with forms such as "efeft", "efet", and "effett". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "eft", "émet", "elfe", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No borrowing history is documented 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 effet, spelled E-F-F-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ce qui est produit par quelque cause.
  2. 2
    Sorte de rotation imprimée à l’objet que l’on lance (boule de pétanque, boule de quilles, …) ou que l’on frappe (ballon de football, balle de tennis, bille de billard, …) afin de modifier son mouvement ultérieur.
  3. 3
    Effort transmis par un mécanisme.
  4. 4
    Ce qui frappe, de ce qui attire ou captive les regards ou l’attention.
  5. 5
    Ce qui est destiné ou ce qui vise à produire de l’effet.
  6. 6
    Exécution d’une chose.
  7. 7
    Billet à ordre, lettre de change, papier de crédit.
  8. 8
    Les biens, les objets meubles, ou censés tels d’après la loi.
  9. 9
    Objets meubles qui sont à l’usage d’une personne, il s’agit presque exclusivement aujourd’hui du linge et des vêtements.

This word in other languages

effect(English)efecto(Español)Effekt(Deutsch)efeito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: efeft,efet,effett,effte,fefet

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of effet - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

efeft2efet1effett1effte2fefet2
Edit distance from "effet"

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 "effet"?
"effet" is spelled E-F-F-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is \e.fɛ\.
What does "effet" mean?
As a noun, "effet" means: Ce qui est produit par quelque cause.
What words are commonly confused with "effet"?
"effet" is commonly confused with "eft", "émet", "elfe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "effet"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "effet" is \e.fɛ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "effet" come from?
"effet" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “effet”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is E-F-F-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \e.fɛ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “eft” - see the side-by-side comparison. effet vs eft
  • 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