insuffisant

\ɛ̃.sy.fi.zɑ̃\

/\ɛ̃.sy.fi.zɑ̃\/ adj

The verdict

“insuffisant” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #11,235 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#11,235
frequency rank, French
11
letters
15
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui ne suffit pas.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

insuffisant vs insuffisante
92% similar
insuffisant vs insuffisants
92% similar
insuffisant vs insuffisantes
85% similar

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

Key facts for insuffisant
PropertyValue
Headwordinsuffisant
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ɛ̃.sy.fi.zɑ̃\
Letters11
Frequency rank#11,235
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “insuffisant” 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). insuffisant 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 insuffisant is 11 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɛ̃.sy.fi.zɑ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #11,235 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for insuffisant, with forms such as "innsuffisant", "insfufisant", and "inssuffisant". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "insuffisante", "insuffisants", "insuffisantes", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is insuffisant, spelled I-N-S-U-F-F-I-S-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui ne suffit pas.
  2. 2
    Qui est inférieur, inapte pour telle ou telle chose, en parlant des personnes.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: innsuffisant,insfufisant,inssuffisant,insuffiasnt,insuffisannt,insuffisantt,insuffisatn,insuffisnat,insuffissant,insuffsiant,insufifsant,insufisant,inusffisant,isnuffisant,nisuffisant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

innsuffisant1insfufisant2inssuffisant1insuffiasnt2insuffisannt1insuffisantt1insuffisatn2insuffisnat2
Edit distance from "insuffisant"

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 "insuffisant"?
"insuffisant" is spelled I-N-S-U-F-F-I-S-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛ̃.sy.fi.zɑ̃\.
What does "insuffisant" mean?
As an adjective, "insuffisant" means: Qui ne suffit pas.
What words are commonly confused with "insuffisant"?
"insuffisant" is commonly confused with "insuffisante", "insuffisants", "insuffisantes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "insuffisant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "insuffisant" is \ɛ̃.sy.fi.zɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "insuffisant" come from?
"insuffisant" 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 “insuffisant”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is I-N-S-U-F-F-I-S-A-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɛ̃.sy.fi.zɑ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “insuffisante” - see the side-by-side comparison. insuffisant vs insuffisante
  • 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