fouetter

\fwe.te\

/\fwe.te\/ verb

The verdict

“fouetter” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #20,729 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#20,729
frequency rank, French
8
letters
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Frapper à l’aide d’un fouet.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

fouetter vs fouette
88% similar
fouetter vs fouettée
75% similar

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

Key facts for fouetter
PropertyValue
Headwordfouetter
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\fwe.te\
Letters8
Frequency rank#20,729
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fouetter” 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). fouetter 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 fouetter is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \fwe.te\. Corpus data places it at rank #20,729 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for fouetter, with forms such as "ffouetter", "foeutter", and "foueter". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "fouette", "fouettée", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is fouetter, spelled F-O-U-E-T-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Frapper à l’aide d’un fouet.
  2. 2
    Frapper à coups de verge ou à l’aide d’une lanière.
  3. 3
    Frapper contre quelque chose.
  4. 4
    Battre avec un fouet ou tout autre instrument de la crème, du blanc d’œuf, etc., pour les faire mousser.
  5. 5
    Entretenir l'intérêt autour d’un produit pour faire monter les ventes.
  6. 6
    Stimuler, encourager, exciter.
  7. 7
    Puer ; sentir mauvais.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ffouetter,foeutter,foueter,fouetetr,fouetterr,fouettre,fouteter,fuoetter,ofuetter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffouetter1foeutter2foueter1fouetetr2fouetterr1fouettre2fouteter2fuoetter2
Edit distance from "fouetter"

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 "fouetter"?
"fouetter" is spelled F-O-U-E-T-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \fwe.te\.
What does "fouetter" mean?
As a verb, "fouetter" means: Frapper à l’aide d’un fouet.
What words are commonly confused with "fouetter"?
"fouetter" is commonly confused with "fouette", "fouettée". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fouetter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fouetter" is \fwe.te\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "fouetter" come from?
"fouetter" 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 “fouetter”

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

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