étoile de mer

\e.twal də mɛʁ\

/\e.twal də mɛʁ\/ noun

The verdict

“étoile de mer” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Animal marin échinoderme.

Key facts for étoile de mer
PropertyValue
Headwordétoile de mer
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\e.twal də mɛʁ\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “étoile de mer” sits in French frequency

étoile de mer 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for étoile de mer is 13 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \e.twal də mɛʁ\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Zero misspellings are on record for étoile de mer in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is étoile de mer, spelled É-T-O-I-L-E- -D-E- -M-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Animal marin échinoderme.
  2. 2
    Position du Kâmasûtra qui commence avec la personne réceptive allongée sur le dos une jambe pliée et une jambe tendue, et la personne insertive, assise sur la jambe tendue.
  3. 3
    Position passive d’un partenaire allongé sur le dos, les bras et les jambes écartés, en forme d’étoile de mer.

Synonyms

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "étoile de mer"?
"étoile de mer" is spelled É-T-O-I-L-E- -D-E- -M-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \e.twal də mɛʁ\.
What does "étoile de mer" mean?
As a noun, "étoile de mer" means: Animal marin échinoderme.
How do you pronounce "étoile de mer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "étoile de mer" is \e.twal də mɛʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "étoile de mer" come from?
"étoile de mer" 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 “étoile de mer”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is É-T-O-I-L-E- -D-E- -M-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \e.twal də mɛʁ\ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list