honte

^((h aspiré))\ɔ̃t\

/^((h aspiré))\ɔ̃t\/ noun

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

The verdict

“honte” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,083 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,083
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Déshonneur, opprobre, humiliation (ce qui est le sens étymologique et ancien).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

honte vs hot
60% similar
honte vs hôte
60% similar
honte vs hope
60% similar

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

Key facts for honte
PropertyValue
Headwordhonte
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA^((h aspiré))\ɔ̃t\
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,083
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “honte” 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). honte 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 honte is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as ^((h aspiré))\ɔ̃t\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,083 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 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 honte, with forms such as "hhonte", "hnote", and "honet". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hot", "hôte", "hope", 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, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is honte, spelled H-O-N-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Déshonneur, opprobre, humiliation (ce qui est le sens étymologique et ancien).
  2. 2
    Déshonneur, opprobre, humiliation (ce qui est le sens étymologique et ancien).
  3. 3
    Ce qui ne convient pas, ce qui est messéant.
  4. 4
    Se dit aussi au pluriel (Voltaire a condamné cet emploi ; mais, outre les autorités, la raison et l’usage n'empêchent pas d’employer ce mot abstrait au pluriel).
  5. 5
    Sentiment pénible qu’excite dans l’âme la pensée ou la crainte du déshonneur; ou la conscience d’une faute commise et la confusion, le trouble qu’on en ressent.
  6. 6
    Dans le langage biblique, les parties que l’on doit cacher.

Synonyms

dégradationembarrasgênehumilitéignominieindignitépudeurremordsréserveretenuetimiditévergogne

Antonyms

honneur

This word in other languages

shame(English)vergüenza(Español)Scham(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhonte,hnote,honet,honnte,hontte,hotne,ohnte

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of honte - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hhonte1hnote2honet2honnte1hontte1hotne2ohnte2
Edit distance from "honte"

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 "honte"?
"honte" is spelled H-O-N-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is ^((h aspiré))\ɔ̃t\.
What does "honte" mean?
As a noun, "honte" means: Déshonneur, opprobre, humiliation (ce qui est le sens étymologique et ancien).
What words are commonly confused with "honte"?
"honte" is commonly confused with "hot", "hôte", "hope". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "honte"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "honte" is ^((h aspiré))\ɔ̃t\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "honte" come from?
"honte" 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 “honte”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is H-O-N-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as ^((h aspiré))\ɔ̃t\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “hot” - see the side-by-side comparison. honte vs hot
  • 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