gegen

\ˈɡeː.ɡən\

/\ˈɡeː.ɡən\/ prep

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

The verdict

“gegen” is uncommon French (frequency #79,344 among 194,371 “G” headwords), classed as a preposition. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#79,344
frequency rank, French
194,371
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Contre (en opposition à).

Key facts for gegen
PropertyValue
Headwordgegen
LanguageFrench
Part of speechPreposition
IPA\ˈɡeː.ɡən\
Letters5
Frequency rank#79,344
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gegen” 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). gegen lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

gegen is uncommon French at frequency #79,344 among 194,371 “G” headwords, classed as apreposition, transcribed \ˈɡeː.ɡən\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 17 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for gegen in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is gegen, spelled G-E-G-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Contre (en opposition à).
  2. 2
    Introduit la compensation, la contrepartie.
  3. 3
    Contre (auprès de).
  4. 4
    Vers, autour de (un moment, dans le sens temporel).
  5. 5
    Contre, en direction de, caractérise une position.
  6. 6
    Sur, dans le contexte de fenêtres ou portes qui donnent sur une direction.
  7. 7
    Contre, en direction de, caractérise un mouvement.
  8. 8
    Contre, en relation à un autre élément.
  9. 9
    Contre, caractérise un toucher.
  10. 10
    Contre, indique une opposition hostile.
  11. 11
    Contre, indique une relation amicale ou respectueuse.
  12. 12
    Contre, indique une protection ou prévention.
  13. 13
    En comparaison avec.
  14. 14
    Contre, indique un échange.
  15. 15
    À peu près.
  16. 16
    Environ, à peu près, autour de.
  17. 17
    Envers.

Synonyms

wider

Antonyms

für

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 "gegen"?
"gegen" is spelled G-E-G-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈɡeː.ɡən\.
What does "gegen" mean?
As a preposition, "gegen" means: Contre (en opposition à).
How do you pronounce "gegen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gegen" is \ˈɡeː.ɡən\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "gegen" come from?
"gegen" 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 “gegen”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is G-E-G-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈɡeː.ɡən\ (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

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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