Irène

\i.ʁɛn\

/\i.ʁɛn\/ name

The verdict

“Irène” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #19,047 in French word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#19,047
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Prénom féminin.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Irène vs iron
40% similar
Irène vs irez
20% similar
Irène vs iront
40% similar

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

Key facts for Irène
PropertyValue
HeadwordIrène
LanguageFrench
Part of speechProper noun
IPA\i.ʁɛn\
Letters5
Frequency rank#19,047
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Irène” 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). Irène 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 Irène is 5 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \i.ʁɛn\. Corpus data places it at rank #19,047 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 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Irène, with forms such as "irene", "irnèe", and "irrène". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "iron", "irez", "iront", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is Irène, spelled I-R-È-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Prénom féminin.
  2. 2
    Prénom masculin.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: irene,irnèe,irrène,irèen,irènne,ièrne,riène

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Irène - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

irene1irnèe2irrène1irèen2irènne1ièrne2riène2
Edit distance from "Irène"

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 "Irène"?
"Irène" is spelled I-R-È-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is \i.ʁɛn\.
What does "Irène" mean?
As a proper noun, "Irène" means: Prénom féminin.
What words are commonly confused with "Irène"?
"Irène" is commonly confused with "iron", "irez", "iront". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Irène"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Irène" is \i.ʁɛn\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Irène" come from?
"Irène" 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 “Irène”

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

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