en berne

\ɑ̃ bɛʁn\

/\ɑ̃ bɛʁn\/ adv

The verdict

“en berne” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - État d’un drapeau hissé à mi-hauteur de sa hampe en signe de commisération ou de deuil.

Corpus desk

Index FR-en-berne · en berne · French

en berne · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for en berne
PropertyValue
Headworden berne
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\ɑ̃ bɛʁn\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « en berne » en français

en bernen'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

en berne is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \ɑ̃ bɛʁn\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

en berne doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file 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 en berne, spelled E-N- -B-E-R-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    État d’un drapeau hissé à mi-hauteur de sa hampe en signe de commisération ou de deuil.
  2. 2
    En état de détresse.
  3. 3
    Dans un état mauvais, négatif.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how en berne appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. […] ; un mât fut dressé, et le pavillon danois monta lentement pour s’arrêter à mi-drisse ; il restait en berne, un accident était donc arrivé.
  2. Il y avait un drapeau italien en berne : signe de deuil. Le tout accompli en bonne règle… …selon un choix aristocratique dont j'ai été exclu.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "en berne"?
"en berne" is spelled E-N- -B-E-R-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɑ̃ bɛʁn\.
What does "en berne" mean?
As an adverb, "en berne" means: État d’un drapeau hissé à mi-hauteur de sa hampe en signe de commisération ou de deuil.
How do you pronounce "en berne"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "en berne" is \ɑ̃ bɛʁn\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "en berne" come from?
"en berne" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list