instiguer

\ɛ̃s.ti.ɡe\

/\ɛ̃s.ti.ɡe\/ verb

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

The verdict

“instiguer” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - ou ou Pousser quelqu’un à faire une action généralement mauvaise, inciter.

Key facts for instiguer
PropertyValue
Headwordinstiguer
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ɛ̃s.ti.ɡe\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “instiguer” sits in French frequency

instiguer falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for instiguer is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɛ̃s.ti.ɡe\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "ou ou Pousser quelqu’un à faire une action généralement mauvaise, inciter.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for instiguer, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is instiguer, spelled I-N-S-T-I-G-U-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    ou ou Pousser quelqu’un à faire une action généralement mauvaise, inciter.

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 "instiguer"?
"instiguer" is spelled I-N-S-T-I-G-U-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛ̃s.ti.ɡe\.
What does "instiguer" mean?
As a verb, "instiguer" means: ou ou Pousser quelqu’un à faire une action généralement mauvaise, inciter.
How do you pronounce "instiguer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "instiguer" is \ɛ̃s.ti.ɡe\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "instiguer" come from?
"instiguer" 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 “instiguer”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is I-N-S-T-I-G-U-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɛ̃s.ti.ɡe\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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