idée
\i.de\
The verdict
“idée” has 5 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #354. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #354
- frequency rank, French
- 3,561
- “I” headwords
- 5
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Suggestion.
Corpus desk
Index FR-idee · idée · French
idée · rank #354 · 5 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-CORE #354
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 5 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,561
- PHOTO-FINISH dernière
Nearest frequency peer: dernière (-1 rank slots)
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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “idée”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- 8
8
99,650 corpus weight
- conseil
conseil
99,649 corpus weight
- dernière
dernière
99,648 corpus weight
- idée
idée
99,647 corpus weight
- notamment
notamment
99,646 corpus weight
- nuit
nuit
99,645 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “idée” sits against the nearest ranked French headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | idée |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \i.de\ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #354 |
| Misspellings tracked | 5 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “idée” sits in French frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 5 spelling variants around idée (IPA \i.de\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #354 among 3,561 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 17 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for idée, with forms such as "diée", "iddée", and "idee". 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, "ie", "ile", "ive", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is idée, spelled I-D-É-E.
Definition
- 1Suggestion.
- 2Possibilité.
- 3Façon de faire, plus ou moins originale, qu’un individu ou un groupe d’individus imagine dans le domaine de la connaissance, de l’action ou de la création artistique.
- 4Solution nouvelle et adaptée au problème de l’interlocuteur (quelque chose qui résout son problème de façon inattendue, quelque chose d’efficace à quoi il n’avait pas pensé ou qu'il n’avait pas envisagé).
- 5Représentation d’un être ou d’une chose dans l’esprit ; notion que l’esprit reçoit ou se forme de quelque chose.
- 6Archétype, modèle éternel et absolu de toutes les choses créées.
- 7Pensée ; conception de l’esprit ; opinion ; réflexion, etc.
- 8Disposition d’esprit, direction de pensée et de sentiment, particuliers à un peuple, à une classe.
- 9Système de pensée.
- 10Forme immuable d’une réalité perçue par la raison, essence intelligible et éternelle des choses sensibles.
- 11Préoccupation d’un caractère morbide.
- 12Souvenir.
- 13Invention, en parlant d’une production des arts.
- 14Esquisse, ébauche rapide d’un ouvrage.
- 15Ouvrage trop peu achevé.
- 16Les visions chimériques, les choses qui ne sauraient avoir lieu, qui ne peuvent se réaliser.
- 17Pensée, esprit, imagination.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how idée appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Une accusation de complot contre la vie de Napoléon III fut abandonnée par prudence ; l’idée était dans l’air, on craignait d’évoquer l’événement.
Une idée intéressante, qui pourrait améliorer très sensiblement le prix de revient total du transport, est celle de la récupération des frigories disponibles à la regazéification.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- diée
- iddée
- idee
- ideé
- iéde
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of idée - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "idée"?
What does "idée" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "idée"?
How do you pronounce "idée"?
What language does "idée" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar French words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "idée", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked French headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).
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.