-er

\e\

/\e\/ suffix

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
3
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Suffixe verbal, en général indiquant un verbe du premier groupe à l’infinitif.

Corpus desk

Index FR-er · -er · French

-er · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "-" 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 -er
PropertyValue
Headword-er
LanguageFrench
Part of speechSuffix
IPA\e\
Letters3
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “-er” sits in French frequency

-er falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

-er is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as asuffix, transcribed \e\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

-er doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is -er, spelled --E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Suffixe verbal, en général indiquant un verbe du premier groupe à l’infinitif.
  2. 2
    Forme un verbe à partir d’un nom.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. cantare → chanter
  2. ambulare → aller (3ᵉ groupe ; unique verbe en -er n'étant pas du 1ᵉʳ groupe)

This word in other languages

-ar(Español)-en(Deutsch)-ar(Português)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "-er"?
"-er" is spelled --E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \e\.
What does "-er" mean?
As a suffix, "-er" means: Suffixe verbal, en général indiquant un verbe du premier groupe à l’infinitif.
How do you pronounce "-er"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "-er" is \e\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "-er" come from?
"-er" 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.
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