gratte-semelle

\ɡʁat.sə.mɛl\

/\ɡʁat.sə.mɛl\/ noun

The verdict

“gratte-semelle” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Objet placé à l’entrée d’une maison pour que les personnes qui viennent du dehors y grattent la semelle de leurs chaussures avant d’entrer.

Key facts for gratte-semelle
PropertyValue
Headwordgratte-semelle
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɡʁat.sə.mɛl\
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gratte-semelle” sits in French frequency

gratte-semelle falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gratte-semelle is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \ɡʁat.sə.mɛl\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for gratte-semelle in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

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 gratte-semelle, spelled G-R-A-T-T-E---S-E-M-E-L-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Objet placé à l’entrée d’une maison pour que les personnes qui viennent du dehors y grattent la semelle de leurs chaussures avant d’entrer.
  2. 2
    Garnement.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "gratte-semelle"?
"gratte-semelle" is spelled G-R-A-T-T-E---S-E-M-E-L-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɡʁat.sə.mɛl\.
What does "gratte-semelle" mean?
As a noun, "gratte-semelle" means: Objet placé à l’entrée d’une maison pour que les personnes qui viennent du dehors y grattent la semelle de leurs chaussures avant d’entrer.
How do you pronounce "gratte-semelle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gratte-semelle" is \ɡʁat.sə.mɛl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "gratte-semelle" come from?
"gratte-semelle" 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 “gratte-semelle”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is G-R-A-T-T-E---S-E-M-E-L-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɡʁat.sə.mɛl\ (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
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