harceler

^((h aspiré))\aʁ.sə.le\

/^((h aspiré))\aʁ.sə.le\/ verb

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

The verdict

“harceler” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #13,809 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#13,809
frequency rank, French
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tourmenter une personne, ou un animal, en le poursuivant sans relâche, en le malmenant.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

harceler vs harcelés
75% similar
harceler vs harceleur
89% similar
harceler vs harcèle
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for harceler
PropertyValue
Headwordharceler
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA^((h aspiré))\aʁ.sə.le\
Letters8
Frequency rank#13,809
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “harceler” 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). harceler lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for harceler is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as ^((h aspiré))\aʁ.sə.le\. Corpus data places it at rank #13,809 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for harceler, with forms such as "ahrceler", "hacreler", and "harcceler". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "harcelés", "harceleur", "harcèle", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is harceler, spelled H-A-R-C-E-L-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tourmenter une personne, ou un animal, en le poursuivant sans relâche, en le malmenant.
  2. 2
    Tourmenter une personne, ou un animal, en le poursuivant sans relâche, en le malmenant.
  3. 3
    Fatiguer l’ennemi par de fréquentes attaques, par de fréquentes escarmouches ou embuscades.
  4. 4
    Importuner quelqu’un par des demandes, des questions, des réclamations permanentes.
  5. 5
    Fatiguer, agacer quelqu’un par des demandes, des questions réitérées.
  6. 6
    Exhorter de manière réitérée pour faire agir et progresser.

Synonyms

agacerbombarderdérangerénerverhouspillerimportunerpoursuivrepressertalonnertannerterrorisertourmentertyrannisersecouer

Antonyms

ficher la paix

This word in other languages

harass(English)zusetzen(Deutsch)oprimir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ahrceler,hacreler,harcceler,harceelr,harcelerr,harceller,harcelre,harcleer,harecler,harrceler,hharceler,hraceler

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of harceler - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ahrceler2hacreler2harcceler1harceelr2harcelerr1harceller1harcelre2harcleer2
Edit distance from "harceler"

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 "harceler"?
"harceler" is spelled H-A-R-C-E-L-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is ^((h aspiré))\aʁ.sə.le\.
What does "harceler" mean?
As a verb, "harceler" means: Tourmenter une personne, ou un animal, en le poursuivant sans relâche, en le malmenant.
What words are commonly confused with "harceler"?
"harceler" is commonly confused with "harcelés", "harceleur", "harcèle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "harceler"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "harceler" is ^((h aspiré))\aʁ.sə.le\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "harceler" come from?
"harceler" 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 “harceler”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is H-A-R-C-E-L-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as ^((h aspiré))\aʁ.sə.le\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “harcelés” - see the side-by-side comparison. harceler vs harcelés
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list