genette

\ʒə.nɛt\

/\ʒə.nɛt\/ noun

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

The verdict

“genette” is uncommon French (frequency #74,035 among 194,371 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#74,035
frequency rank, French
194,371
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Espèce de viverridé proche des civettes, surtout d’Afrique, et dont la peau s’emploie en fourrures.

Key facts for genette
PropertyValue
Headwordgenette
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʒə.nɛt\
Letters7
Frequency rank#74,035
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “genette” 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). genette 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

genette is uncommon French at frequency #74,035 among 194,371 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \ʒə.nɛt\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for genette, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is genette, spelled G-E-N-E-T-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Espèce de viverridé proche des civettes, surtout d’Afrique, et dont la peau s’emploie en fourrures.
  2. 2
    Sorte de mors dont la gourmette a la forme d’un anneau.
  3. 3
    Ordre militaire fondé par Charles-Martel.
  4. 4
    Meuble représentant l’animal du même nom dans les armoiries. Elle est souvent confondue avec la martre (si présentée sans ses tâches) et utilisée pour construire des armes parlantes.

This word in other languages

genet(English)gineta(Español)Ginsterkatze(Deutsch)

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 "genette"?
"genette" is spelled G-E-N-E-T-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ʒə.nɛt\.
What does "genette" mean?
As a noun, "genette" means: Espèce de viverridé proche des civettes, surtout d’Afrique, et dont la peau s’emploie en fourrures.
How do you pronounce "genette"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "genette" is \ʒə.nɛt\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "genette" come from?
"genette" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “genette”

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

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