empire

\ɑ̃.piʁ\

/\ɑ̃.piʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“empire” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #1,561 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,561
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Groupe d’États qui sont dirigés par un État qui les domine.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

empire vs épine
50% similar
empire vs épicé
33% similar
empire vs étire
50% similar

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

Key facts for empire
PropertyValue
Headwordempire
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɑ̃.piʁ\
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,561
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “empire” 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). empire 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 empire is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɑ̃.piʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #1,561 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 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 empire, with forms such as "emipre", "emmpire", and "empier". 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, "épine", "épicé", "étire", 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 best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is empire, spelled E-M-P-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Groupe d’États qui sont dirigés par un État qui les domine.
  2. 2
    Autorité politique dominant symboliquement, politiquement et/ou militairement plusieurs États ou nations.
  3. 3
    Autorité absolue.
  4. 4
    Ascendant, influence dominante.
  5. 5
    Autorité absolue d’un chef d’État qui porte le titre d’empereur.
  6. 6
    État, nations soumis à cette autorité.
  7. 7
    Période de temps qu’a régné un empereur.
  8. 8
    Règne de Napoléon Iᵉʳ ou celui de Napoléon III.
  9. 9
    Rang taxinomique supérieur au règne.
  10. 10
    Grande région zoogéographique, à l'échelle d'un continent.

This word in other languages

mastery(English)imperio(Español)Kaiserreich(Deutsch)império(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: emipre,emmpire,empier,empirre,emppire,emprie,epmire,mepire

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emipre2emmpire1empier2empirre1emppire1emprie2epmire2mepire2
Edit distance from "empire"

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 "empire"?
"empire" is spelled E-M-P-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɑ̃.piʁ\.
What does "empire" mean?
As a noun, "empire" means: Groupe d’États qui sont dirigés par un État qui les domine.
What words are commonly confused with "empire"?
"empire" is commonly confused with "épine", "épicé", "étire". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "empire"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "empire" is \ɑ̃.piʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "empire" come from?
"empire" 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 “empire”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is E-M-P-I-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɑ̃.piʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “épine” - see the side-by-side comparison. empire vs épine
  • 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