genêt

\ʒə.nɛ\

/\ʒə.nɛ\/ noun

The verdict

“genêt” is uncommon French (frequency #63,021 among 194,371 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,021
frequency rank, French
194,371
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Différents genres de plantes de la famille des Fabacées, qui renferment un grand nombre d’arbrisseaux et d’arbustes, la plupart à fleurs jaunes.

Key facts for genêt
PropertyValue
Headwordgenêt
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʒə.nɛ\
Letters5
Frequency rank#63,021
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “genêt” 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). genêt 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

genêt is uncommon French at frequency #63,021 among 194,371 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \ʒə.nɛ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Différents genres de plantes de la famille des Fabacées, qui renferment un grand nombre d’arbrisseaux et d’arbustes, la plupart à fleurs jaunes.".

genêt has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is genêt, spelled G-E-N-Ê-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Différents genres de plantes de la famille des Fabacées, qui renferment un grand nombre d’arbrisseaux et d’arbustes, la plupart à fleurs jaunes.

This word in other languages

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 "genêt"?
"genêt" is spelled G-E-N-Ê-T. The IPA pronunciation is \ʒə.nɛ\.
What does "genêt" mean?
As a noun, "genêt" means: Différents genres de plantes de la famille des Fabacées, qui renferment un grand nombre d’arbrisseaux et d’arbustes, la plupart à fleurs jaunes.
How do you pronounce "genêt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "genêt" is \ʒə.nɛ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "genêt" come from?
"genêt" 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 “genêt”

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

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