insolent

\ɛ̃.sɔ.lɑ̃\

/\ɛ̃.sɔ.lɑ̃\/ adj

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

The verdict

“insolent” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #23,905 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#23,905
frequency rank, French
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui s'oppose à son supérieur, hiérarchique ou autre, de façon moqueuse ; qui perd le respect à force d’effronterie ou de hardiesse excessive.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

insolent vs isolant
75% similar
insolent vs insolente
89% similar
insolent vs insultent
78% similar

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

Key facts for insolent
PropertyValue
Headwordinsolent
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ɛ̃.sɔ.lɑ̃\
Letters8
Frequency rank#23,905
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “insolent” 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). insolent 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 insolent is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɛ̃.sɔ.lɑ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #23,905 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for insolent, with forms such as "innsolent", "inoslent", and "insloent". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "isolant", "insolente", "insultent", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is insolent, spelled I-N-S-O-L-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui s'oppose à son supérieur, hiérarchique ou autre, de façon moqueuse ; qui perd le respect à force d’effronterie ou de hardiesse excessive.
  2. 2
    Celui qui offense la modestie, la pudeur, qui manque aux égards, aux convenances.
  3. 3
    Qui en use avec orgueil, avec dureté.
  4. 4
    Insolite. On dit encore « bonheur insolent », « fortune insolente », « chance insolente », en parlant d’un bonheur, d’une fortune, d’une chance extraordinaire.

This word in other languages

insolent(English)insolente(Español)frech(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: innsolent,inoslent,insloent,insoelnt,insolennt,insolentt,insoletn,insollent,insolnet,inssolent,isnolent,nisolent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

innsolent1inoslent2insloent2insoelnt2insolennt1insolentt1insoletn2insollent1
Edit distance from "insolent"

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 "insolent"?
"insolent" is spelled I-N-S-O-L-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛ̃.sɔ.lɑ̃\.
What does "insolent" mean?
As an adjective, "insolent" means: Qui s'oppose à son supérieur, hiérarchique ou autre, de façon moqueuse ; qui perd le respect à force d’effronterie ou de hardiesse excessive.
What words are commonly confused with "insolent"?
"insolent" is commonly confused with "isolant", "insolente", "insultent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "insolent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "insolent" is \ɛ̃.sɔ.lɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "insolent" come from?
"insolent" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “insolent”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is I-N-S-O-L-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɛ̃.sɔ.lɑ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “isolant” - see the side-by-side comparison. insolent vs isolant
  • 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