inférieur

\ɛ̃.fe.ʁjœʁ\

/\ɛ̃.fe.ʁjœʁ\/ adj

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

The verdict

“inférieur” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #3,764 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#3,764
frequency rank, French
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui est placé au-dessous, en bas.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

inférieur vs intérieur
89% similar
inférieur vs ingénieur
78% similar
inférieur vs intérieure
80% similar

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

Key facts for inférieur
PropertyValue
Headwordinférieur
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ɛ̃.fe.ʁjœʁ\
Letters9
Frequency rank#3,764
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “inférieur” 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). inférieur 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 inférieur is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɛ̃.fe.ʁjœʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #3,764 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 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for inférieur, with forms such as "ifnérieur", "inferieur", and "infférieur". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "intérieur", "ingénieur", "intérieure", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is inférieur, spelled I-N-F-É-R-I-E-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui est placé au-dessous, en bas.
  2. 2
    Qualifiait les planètes qui, comparées à la terre, sont plus rapprochées du soleil.
  3. 3
    Qualifiait la partie d’un pays qui est la plus éloignée de la source d’un fleuve, ou la plus voisine de la mer ;
  4. 4
    Qui est au-dessous d’une personne ou d’une chose en rang, en dignité, en mérite, en forces, en valeur.
  5. 5
    Plus petit ou égal. Le symbole : ≤ ou ⩽. Note d’usage : En mathématiques ce mot comprend l’égalité, mais ce n’est pas le cas du langage courant et de l’informatique. Pour éviter la confusion possible, on peut dire inférieur ou égal.

Antonyms

supérieur

This word in other languages

lower(English)inferior(Español)kleiner(Deutsch)inferior(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ifnérieur,inferieur,infférieur,infréieur,inféireur,inféreiur,inférieru,inférieurr,infériuer,inférrieur,innférieur,inéfrieur,niférieur

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ifnérieur2inferieur1infférieur1infréieur2inféireur2inféreiur2inférieru2inférieurr1
Edit distance from "inférieur"

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 "inférieur"?
"inférieur" is spelled I-N-F-É-R-I-E-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛ̃.fe.ʁjœʁ\.
What does "inférieur" mean?
As an adjective, "inférieur" means: Qui est placé au-dessous, en bas.
What words are commonly confused with "inférieur"?
"inférieur" is commonly confused with "intérieur", "ingénieur", "intérieure". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "inférieur"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "inférieur" is \ɛ̃.fe.ʁjœʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "inférieur" come from?
"inférieur" 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 “inférieur”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is I-N-F-É-R-I-E-U-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɛ̃.fe.ʁjœʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “intérieur” - see the side-by-side comparison. inférieur vs intérieur
  • 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