finir

\fi.niʁ\

/\fi.niʁ\/ verb

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

The verdict

“finir” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #1,291 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#1,291
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Achever, terminer, arriver à échéance, cesser, finaliser.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

finir vs fins
60% similar
finir vs fuir
60% similar
finir vs finn
60% similar

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

Key facts for finir
PropertyValue
Headwordfinir
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\fi.niʁ\
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,291
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “finir” 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). finir 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 finir is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \fi.niʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #1,291 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 12 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 finir, with forms such as "ffinir", "fiinr", and "finirr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fins", "fuir", "finn", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is finir, spelled F-I-N-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Achever, terminer, arriver à échéance, cesser, finaliser.
  2. 2
    Exécuter avec un soin minutieux.
  3. 3
    Être la fin ou le terme de quelque chose.
  4. 4
    Terminer l’action indiquée par le verbe à l’infinitif.
  5. 5
    Cesser des choses trop longues, ennuyeuses, désagréables ou intolérables.
  6. 6
    Se terminer ou être terminé.
  7. 7
    Prendre fin, arriver à son terme.
  8. 8
    Avoir une certaine fin ou une certaine issue ; arriver à un certain résultat.
  9. 9
    Mourir.
  10. 10
    Suivi de « par » et d’un infinitif il indique que l’action est le terme ou le résultat de ce qui a précédé. → voir finir par
  11. 11
    Assouvir un désir jusqu’à l’épuisement et l’oubli.
  12. 12
    Jouir, avoir un orgasme jusqu’à atteindre la période réfractaire, éjaculer.

Synonyms

terminermourir

Antonyms

commencer

This word in other languages

finish(English)terminar(Español)enden(Deutsch)acabar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ffinir,fiinr,finirr,finnir,finri,fniir,ifnir

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of finir - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ffinir1fiinr2finirr1finnir1finri2fniir2ifnir2
Edit distance from "finir"

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 "finir"?
"finir" is spelled F-I-N-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is \fi.niʁ\.
What does "finir" mean?
As a verb, "finir" means: Achever, terminer, arriver à échéance, cesser, finaliser.
What words are commonly confused with "finir"?
"finir" is commonly confused with "fins", "fuir", "finn". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "finir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "finir" is \fi.niʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "finir" come from?
"finir" 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 “finir”

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

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