état civil

\e.ta si.vil\

/\e.ta si.vil\/ noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Condition d’une personne d’après les actes publics qui établissent sa naissance, sa filiation légitime, illégitime ou adoptive, son mariage, son décès, etc.

Key facts for état civil
PropertyValue
Headwordétat civil
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\e.ta si.vil\
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “état civil” sits in French frequency

état civil 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

état civil is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \e.ta si.vil\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Condition d’une personne d’après les actes publics qui établissent sa naissance, sa filiation légitime, illégitime ou adoptive, son mariage, son décès, etc.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for état civil, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is état civil, spelled É-T-A-T- -C-I-V-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Condition d’une personne d’après les actes publics qui établissent sa naissance, sa filiation légitime, illégitime ou adoptive, son mariage, son décès, etc.

This word in other languages

estado civil(Español)Personenstand(Deutsch)

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "état civil"?
"état civil" is spelled É-T-A-T- -C-I-V-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is \e.ta si.vil\.
What does "état civil" mean?
As a noun, "état civil" means: Condition d’une personne d’après les actes publics qui établissent sa naissance, sa filiation légitime, illégitime ou adoptive, son mariage, son décès, etc.
How do you pronounce "état civil"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "état civil" is \e.ta si.vil\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "état civil" come from?
"état civil" 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.

Using “état civil”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is É-T-A-T- -C-I-V-I-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \e.ta si.vil\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
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