gouvernaient

\ɡu.vɛʁ.nɛ\

/\ɡu.vɛʁ.nɛ\/ verb

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

The verdict

“gouvernaient” is uncommon French (frequency #94,851 among 194,371 “G” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,851
frequency rank, French
194,371
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Troisième personne du pluriel de l’imparfait de l’indicatif de gouverner.

Key facts for gouvernaient
PropertyValue
Headwordgouvernaient
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ɡu.vɛʁ.nɛ\
Letters12
Frequency rank#94,851
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gouvernaient” 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). gouvernaient 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

gouvernaient is uncommon French at frequency #94,851 among 194,371 “G” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed \ɡu.vɛʁ.nɛ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Troisième personne du pluriel de l’imparfait de l’indicatif de gouverner.".

No misspelling variants are generated for gouvernaient in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is gouvernaient, spelled G-O-U-V-E-R-N-A-I-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Troisième personne du pluriel de l’imparfait de l’indicatif de gouverner.

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 "gouvernaient"?
"gouvernaient" is spelled G-O-U-V-E-R-N-A-I-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is \ɡu.vɛʁ.nɛ\.
What does "gouvernaient" mean?
As a verb, "gouvernaient" means: Troisième personne du pluriel de l’imparfait de l’indicatif de gouverner.
How do you pronounce "gouvernaient"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gouvernaient" is \ɡu.vɛʁ.nɛ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "gouvernaient" come from?
"gouvernaient" 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 “gouvernaient”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is G-O-U-V-E-R-N-A-I-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɡu.vɛʁ.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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list