essai

\e.sɛ\

/\e.sɛ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“essai” sits in 17 confusable pairs (corpus #2,277) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#2,277
frequency rank, French
201,161
“E” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Test, examen, épreuve de solidité, de pérennité, d’adéquation, de potabilité, de comestibilité, etc.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

essai vs esta
60% similar
essai vs étai
40% similar
essai vs essor
60% similar

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

Key facts for essai
PropertyValue
Headwordessai
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\e.sɛ\
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,277
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “essai” 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). essai lands here:

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

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

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for essai is neighbouring look-alikes ("esta", "étai", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced \e.sɛ\. Frequency #2,277 among 201,161 “E” headwords. 6 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for essai, with forms such as "esai", "esasi", and "essia". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 17 confusable-pair relationships, "esta", "étai", "essor", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is essai, spelled E-S-S-A-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Test, examen, épreuve de solidité, de pérennité, d’adéquation, de potabilité, de comestibilité, etc.
  2. 2
    Opération par laquelle on s’assure de la pureté d’un métal ou de la nature de celui qui est contenu dans une mine.
  3. 3
    Tentative.
  4. 4
    Premières productions de l’esprit ou de l’art qui se font sur quelque sujet, sur quelque matière, pour voir si l’on y réussira.
  5. 5
    Ouvrage littéraire explorant un domaine donné selon le point de vue de l’auteur. Il est intitulé ainsi, soit par modestie, soit parce que l’auteur ne se propose pas d’approfondir la matière de son traité.
  6. 6
    Points marqués (cinq points) par une équipe de rugby lorsqu’un de ses joueurs plaque le ballon au sol dans l’enbut adverse et permettant d'essayer une transformation (deux points supplémentaires).

This word in other languages

try(English)ensayo(Español)Probe(Deutsch)teste(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • esai
  • esasi
  • essia
  • sesai

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

esai1esasi2essia2sesai2
Edit distance from "essai"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "essai"?
"essai" is spelled E-S-S-A-I. The IPA pronunciation is \e.sɛ\.
What does "essai" mean?
As a noun, "essai" means: Test, examen, épreuve de solidité, de pérennité, d’adéquation, de potabilité, de comestibilité, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "essai"?
"essai" is commonly confused with "esta", "étai", "essor". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "essai"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "essai" is \e.sɛ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "essai" come from?
"essai" 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.

Using “essai”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is E-S-S-A-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \e.sɛ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “esta” - see the side-by-side comparison. essai vs esta
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Words at a similar French frequency

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list