ertappen
\ɛɐ̯ˈtapn̩\
The verdict
“ertappen” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. 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) - Pincer, choper (dans le sens dévoiler, surprendre).
Corpus desk
Index FR-ertappen · ertappen · French
ertappen · 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ertappen |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | \ɛɐ̯ˈtapn̩\ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Longue queue: rang de « ertappen » en français
Rare enough to double-check
ertappen is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \ɛɐ̯ˈtapn̩\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Pincer, choper (dans le sens dévoiler, surprendre).".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for ertappen, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is ertappen, spelled E-R-T-A-P-P-E-N.
Definition
- 1Pincer, choper (dans le sens dévoiler, surprendre).
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how ertappen appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Detlef ist sauer auf seinen Sohn, weil er etwas im Kaufhaus klauen wollte und dabei ertappt worden ist.
Ich weine niemals, ich lache fast gar nicht, ich mache keinen Lärm; als ich vier Jahre alt war, ertappte man mich dabei, wie ich Salz auf die Konfitüre streute: vermutlich mehr aus Liebe zur Wissenschaft als aus Bosheit; dies jedenfalls ist die einzige Missetat, an die ich mich erinnern kann.
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.