ex-Zaïre

\ɛks.za.iʁ\

/\ɛks.za.iʁ\/ name

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Congo-Kinshasa d’aujourd’hui, qui s’appelle officiellement la République Démocratique du Congo depuis 1997. Utilisé pour le distinguer d’avec la République du Congo (Congo-Brazzaville).

Corpus desk

Index FR-ex-zaire · ex-Zaïre · French

ex-Zaïre · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" 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 ex-Zaïre
PropertyValue
Headwordex-Zaïre
LanguageFrench
Part of speechProper noun
IPA\ɛks.za.iʁ\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « ex-Zaïre » en français

ex-Zaïrereste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ex-Zaïre is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as aproper noun, transcribed \ɛks.za.iʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Congo-Kinshasa d’aujourd’hui, qui s’appelle officiellement la République Démocratique du Congo depuis 1997. Utilisé pour le distinguer d’avec la République du Congo (Congo-Brazzaville).".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for ex-Zaïre, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is ex-Zaïre, spelled E-X---Z-A-Ï-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Congo-Kinshasa d’aujourd’hui, qui s’appelle officiellement la République Démocratique du Congo depuis 1997. Utilisé pour le distinguer d’avec la République du Congo (Congo-Brazzaville).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Troisième pays d’Afrique par sa superficie, l’ex-Zaïre est situé sur l’équateur.
  2. En Afrique centrale, le Cameroun, le Congo et l’ex-Zaïre sont les principaux producteurs de la région.

Synonyms

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 "ex-Zaïre"?
"ex-Zaïre" is spelled E-X---Z-A-Ï-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛks.za.iʁ\.
What does "ex-Zaïre" mean?
As a proper noun, "ex-Zaïre" means: Congo-Kinshasa d’aujourd’hui, qui s’appelle officiellement la République Démocratique du Congo depuis 1997. Utilisé pour le distinguer d’avec la République du Congo (Congo-Brazzaville).
How do you pronounce "ex-Zaïre"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ex-Zaïre" is \ɛks.za.iʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ex-Zaïre" come from?
"ex-Zaïre" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list