espérer

\ɛs.pe.ʁe\

/\ɛs.pe.ʁe\/ verb

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

The verdict

“espérer” has 11 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #3,254. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,254
frequency rank, French
3,255
“E” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Attendre.

Corpus desk

Index FR-esperer · espérer · French

espérer · rank #3,254 · 11 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,254
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,255
  • PHOTO-FINISH espaces

Nearest frequency peer: espaces (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “espérer”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “espérer” sits against the nearest ranked French headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

espérer vs espérez
86% similar
espérer vs espères
71% similar
espérer vs expirer
71% similar

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

Key facts for espérer
PropertyValue
Headwordespérer
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ɛs.pe.ʁe\
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,254
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “espérer” 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).espérer lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around espérer (IPA \ɛs.pe.ʁe\), averb. Corpus frequency is #3,254 among 3,255 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for espérer, with forms such as "epsérer", "esperer", and "esppérer". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "espérez", "espères", "expirer", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is espérer, spelled E-S-P-É-R-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Attendre.
  2. 2
    ou (Louisiane) et (Poitevin-Saintongeais) Attendre la venue de quelqu’un.
  3. 3
    Attendre les bienfaits divins.
  4. 4
    Considérer l’objet de son souhait comme réalisable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Duchotel. — Est-il pressé ! Cassagne.— Pardon, espère un moment, espère. Duchotel, qui ne comprend pas. — Quoi ? Cassagne, passant devant lui et allant à Moricet. — Espère un peu !
  2. Peut-être Janine appartient-elle à cette race qu’un vieil avocat connaît bien : ces femmes chez qui l’espérance est une maladie, qui ne guérissent pas d’espérer, et qui, après vingt ans, regardent encore la porte avec des yeux de bête fidèle.

This word in other languages

hope(English)esperar(Español)hoffen(Deutsch)esperar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epsérer
  • esperer
  • esppérer
  • espréer
  • espéerr
  • espérerr
  • espérre
  • espérrer
  • esspérer
  • eséprer
  • sepérer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of espérer - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

epsérer2esperer1esppérer1espréer2espéerr2espérerr1espérre2espérrer1
Edit distance from "espérer"

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.

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 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "espérer"?
"espérer" is spelled E-S-P-É-R-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛs.pe.ʁe\.
What does "espérer" mean?
As a verb, "espérer" means: Attendre.
What words are commonly confused with "espérer"?
"espérer" is commonly confused with "espérez", "espères", "expirer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "espérer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "espérer" is \ɛs.pe.ʁe\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "espérer" come from?
"espérer" 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.

Similar French words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "espérer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked French headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

espaces#3,253faibles#3,257dessins#3,247inconnu#3,267

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

devaient11 variantschemins11 variantsanglaise11 variantsmaintien11 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "espérer". Here's where to go from here.

  • "espérer" maps to 11 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "espérez". View pair
  • 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #3,254 among French headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more French words in the "E" letter cohort. E–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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