ferme

\fɛʁm\

/\fɛʁm\/ adj

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

The verdict

“ferme” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #1,138 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,138
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui a de la consistance, qui offre une certaine résistance.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ferme vs fête
40% similar
ferme vs free
60% similar
ferme vs fume
60% similar

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

Key facts for ferme
PropertyValue
Headwordferme
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\fɛʁm\
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,138
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ferme” 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). ferme lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for ferme is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \fɛʁm\. Corpus data places it at rank #1,138 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for ferme, with forms such as "efrme", "femre", and "ferem". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fête", "free", "fume", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is ferme, spelled F-E-R-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui a de la consistance, qui offre une certaine résistance.
  2. 2
    Qui tient fixement.
  3. 3
    Dont les propriétés sont stables.
  4. 4
    Qui se tient solidement, qui ne chancelle pas.
  5. 5
    Vigoureux, fort, en bonne santé
  6. 6
    Qui a le caractère de la vigueur, désigne une manière d’exécuter vigoureuse et hardie.
  7. 7
    Qui a de la solidité morale, qui ne se laisse ni changer ni détourner ; constant, invariable, inébranlable.
  8. 8
    Qui ne se laisse point abattre par l’adversité, intimider par le péril.
  9. 9
    Se dit des choses en un sens analogue, de la volonté, l'espérance, la foi…
  10. 10
    Solide, assuré ; qui n'hésite ni ne tremble.
  11. 11
    Stable, dépourvu de variations.

This word in other languages

firm(English)firme(Español)hart(Deutsch)firmo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: efrme,femre,ferem,fermme,ferrme,fferme,freme

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

efrme2femre2ferem2fermme1ferrme1fferme1freme2
Edit distance from "ferme"

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 "ferme"?
"ferme" is spelled F-E-R-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is \fɛʁm\.
What does "ferme" mean?
As an adjective, "ferme" means: Qui a de la consistance, qui offre une certaine résistance.
What words are commonly confused with "ferme"?
"ferme" is commonly confused with "fête", "free", "fume". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ferme"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ferme" is \fɛʁm\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ferme" come from?
"ferme" 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 “ferme”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is F-E-R-M-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \fɛʁm\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “fête” - see the side-by-side comparison. ferme vs fête
  • 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