herbe

\ɛʁb\

/\ɛʁb\/ noun

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

The verdict

“herbe” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,862 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,862
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (sens strict) Un végétal vert, monocotylédone ou dicotylédone, à tige fine et molle car non ligneuse (pas un tronc ni une stipe), vivace ou annuel, et qui perd tiges et feuilles en hiver.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

herbe vs here
80% similar
herbe vs hero
60% similar
herbe vs Herr
40% similar

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

Key facts for herbe
PropertyValue
Headwordherbe
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɛʁb\
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,862
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “herbe” 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). herbe 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 herbe is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɛʁb\. Corpus data places it at rank #4,862 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for herbe, with forms such as "ehrbe", "hebre", and "herbbe". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "here", "hero", "Herr", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is herbe, spelled H-E-R-B-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    (sens strict) Un végétal vert, monocotylédone ou dicotylédone, à tige fine et molle car non ligneuse (pas un tronc ni une stipe), vivace ou annuel, et qui perd tiges et feuilles en hiver.
  2. 2
    Une plante qui a des propriétés particulières.
  3. 3
    Ensemble des plantes qui couvrent les pâturages, les prairies, les lieux peu fréquentés, etc., et que l’on coupe ordinairement pour la nourriture des chevaux et des bestiaux.
  4. 4
    Entre comme terme générique dans plusieurs des noms vulgaires donnés aux plantes usuelles ou très communes.
  5. 5
    Nom donné au chanvre indien, ainsi qu’à ses fleurs séchées, la marijuana.

This word in other languages

grass(English)hierba(Español)Gras(Deutsch)erva(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ehrbe,hebre,herbbe,hereb,herrbe,hherbe,hrebe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of herbe - 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.

ehrbe2hebre2herbbe1hereb2herrbe1hherbe1hrebe2
Edit distance from "herbe"

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 "herbe"?
"herbe" is spelled H-E-R-B-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛʁb\.
What does "herbe" mean?
As a noun, "herbe" means: (sens strict) Un végétal vert, monocotylédone ou dicotylédone, à tige fine et molle car non ligneuse (pas un tronc ni une stipe), vivace ou annuel, et qui perd tiges et feuilles en hiver.
What words are commonly confused with "herbe"?
"herbe" is commonly confused with "here", "hero", "Herr". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "herbe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "herbe" is \ɛʁb\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "herbe" come from?
"herbe" 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 “herbe”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is H-E-R-B-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɛʁb\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “here” - see the side-by-side comparison. herbe vs here
  • 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