épine dorsale

\e.pin dɔʁ.sal\

/\e.pin dɔʁ.sal\/ noun

The verdict

“épine dorsale” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Enchainement des apophyses épineuses des vertèbres visible dans le dos de l’homme et de certains mammifères.

Corpus desk

Index FR-epine-dorsale · épine dorsale · French

épine dorsale · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "É" 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 épine dorsale
PropertyValue
Headwordépine dorsale
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\e.pin dɔʁ.sal\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « épine dorsale » en français

épine dorsalesiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

épine dorsale is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \e.pin dɔʁ.sal\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for épine dorsale in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is épine dorsale, spelled É-P-I-N-E- -D-O-R-S-A-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Enchainement des apophyses épineuses des vertèbres visible dans le dos de l’homme et de certains mammifères.
  2. 2
    Ensemble du dos.
  3. 3
    Dos avec la notion de maintien, de dignité ou de siège de sensations psychiques.
  4. 4
    Chaîne de montagnes.
  5. 5
    Voie de communication desservant les centres vitaux d’un centre urbain ou informatique.
  6. 6
    Structure d’un concept, d’une philosophie supportant leurs ramifications.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. L’animal à l’épine dorsale brisée s’était traîné tout sanglant sur le sol de toute la longueur de sa chaîne.
  2. — […], un récif au large, dragon gigantesque, la gueule terrifiante, l’épine dorsale et la longue queue hérissées de pointes, semble en interdire l’accès; […].

Synonyms

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 "épine dorsale"?
"épine dorsale" is spelled É-P-I-N-E- -D-O-R-S-A-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \e.pin dɔʁ.sal\.
What does "épine dorsale" mean?
As a noun, "épine dorsale" means: Enchainement des apophyses épineuses des vertèbres visible dans le dos de l’homme et de certains mammifères.
How do you pronounce "épine dorsale"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "épine dorsale" is \e.pin dɔʁ.sal\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "épine dorsale" come from?
"épine dorsale" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list