hérisson de mer

\e.ʁi.sɔ̃ də mɛʁ\

/\e.ʁi.sɔ̃ də mɛʁ\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Oursin.

Corpus desk

Index FR-herisson-de-mer · hérisson de mer · French

hérisson de mer · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "H" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for hérisson de mer
PropertyValue
Headwordhérisson de mer
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\e.ʁi.sɔ̃ də mɛʁ\
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « hérisson de mer » en français

hérisson de mersiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

hérisson de mer is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \e.ʁi.sɔ̃ də mɛʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Oursin.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for hérisson de mer, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is hérisson de mer, spelled H-É-R-I-S-S-O-N- -D-E- -M-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Oursin.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how hérisson de mer appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Ce que je nomme le Hérisson de mer, est plus souvent appelé par les Modernes, Oursin : mais j’ai conservé la dénomination de Hérisson, parce qu’elle est analogue à l’expression dont Aristote s’est servi.
  2. Dans le même genre, en analysant le génome de l’oursin, on a découvert que ce hérisson de mer, cet échinoderme mangeur d’algues comme tu l’appelles, entretient avec l’homme une étonnante proximité.

This word in other languages

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 "hérisson de mer"?
"hérisson de mer" is spelled H-É-R-I-S-S-O-N- -D-E- -M-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \e.ʁi.sɔ̃ də mɛʁ\.
What does "hérisson de mer" mean?
As a noun, "hérisson de mer" means: Oursin.
How do you pronounce "hérisson de mer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hérisson de mer" is \e.ʁi.sɔ̃ də mɛʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "hérisson de mer" come from?
"hérisson de mer" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list