-esque

\ɛsk\

/\ɛsk\/ suffix

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Suffixe utilisé pour former des adjectifs qui indiquent une caractéristique, une ressemblance, une qualité, souvent à partir d’un radical issu d’un nom propre (pour décrire un lieu ou encore un sty...

Corpus desk

Index FR-esque · -esque · French

-esque · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • 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 -esque
PropertyValue
Headword-esque
LanguageFrench
Part of speechSuffix
IPA\ɛsk\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “-esque” sits in French frequency

-esque 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

-esque is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as asuffix, transcribed \ɛsk\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Suffixe utilisé pour former des adjectifs qui indiquent une caractéristique, une ressemblance, une qualité, souvent à partir d’un radical issu d’un nom propre (pour décrire un lieu ou encore un sty...".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for -esque, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, 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 -esque, spelled --E-S-Q-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Suffixe utilisé pour former des adjectifs qui indiquent une caractéristique, une ressemblance, une qualité, souvent à partir d’un radical issu d’un nom propre (pour décrire un lieu ou encore un style artistique ou politique).

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.

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 May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "-esque"?
"-esque" is spelled --E-S-Q-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛsk\.
What does "-esque" mean?
As a suffix, "-esque" means: Suffixe utilisé pour former des adjectifs qui indiquent une caractéristique, une ressemblance, une qualité, souvent à partir d’un radical issu d’un nom propre (pour décrire un lieu ou encore un sty...
How do you pronounce "-esque"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "-esque" is \ɛsk\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "-esque" come from?
"-esque" 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.
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