entretenir

\ɑ̃.tʁət.niʁ\

/\ɑ̃.tʁət.niʁ\/ verb

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

The verdict

“entretenir” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #5,341 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#5,341
frequency rank, French
10
letters
15
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tenir en bon état.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

entretenir vs entretenu
80% similar
entretenir vs entretenue
80% similar
entretenir vs entretenus
80% similar

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

Key facts for entretenir
PropertyValue
Headwordentretenir
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ɑ̃.tʁət.niʁ\
Letters10
Frequency rank#5,341
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “entretenir” 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). entretenir 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 entretenir is 10 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɑ̃.tʁət.niʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #5,341 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for entretenir, with forms such as "enntretenir", "enrtetenir", and "entertenir". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "entretenu", "entretenue", "entretenus", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, 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 entretenir, spelled E-N-T-R-E-T-E-N-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tenir en bon état.
  2. 2
    Maintenir en un certain état une chose ou une personne.
  3. 3
    Faire subsister en fournissant les choses nécessaires.
  4. 4
    Pourvoir aux dépenses d’une personne avec laquelle on est en commerce de galanterie.
  5. 5
    Converser avec quelqu’un sur tel ou tel sujet.
  6. 6
    Se conserver, se maintenir.
  7. 7
    S’exercer pour se maintenir au même degré de force, de savoir.
  8. 8
    Converser, discuter.
  9. 9
    Se tenir, s’assujettir réciproquement.

This word in other languages

maintain(English)mantener(Español)unterhalten(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: enntretenir,enrtetenir,entertenir,entreetnir,entreteinr,entretenirr,entretennir,entretenri,entretneir,entrettenir,entrretenir,entrteenir,enttretenir,etnretenir,netretenir

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of entretenir - 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.

enntretenir1enrtetenir2entertenir2entreetnir2entreteinr2entretenirr1entretennir1entretenri2
Edit distance from "entretenir"

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 "entretenir"?
"entretenir" is spelled E-N-T-R-E-T-E-N-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is \ɑ̃.tʁət.niʁ\.
What does "entretenir" mean?
As a verb, "entretenir" means: Tenir en bon état.
What words are commonly confused with "entretenir"?
"entretenir" is commonly confused with "entretenu", "entretenue", "entretenus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "entretenir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "entretenir" is \ɑ̃.tʁət.niʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "entretenir" come from?
"entretenir" 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 “entretenir”

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

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