iridescence

\i.ʁi.de.sɑ̃s\

/\i.ʁi.de.sɑ̃s\/ noun

The verdict

“iridescence” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Phénomène selon lequel une surface paraît de couleur différente selon l’angle sous lequel on la regarde.

Corpus desk

Index FR-iridescence · iridescence · French

iridescence · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "I" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for iridescence
PropertyValue
Headwordiridescence
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\i.ʁi.de.sɑ̃s\
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « iridescence » en français

iridescencen'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

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

Rare enough to double-check

iridescence is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \i.ʁi.de.sɑ̃s\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Phénomène selon lequel une surface paraît de couleur différente selon l’angle sous lequel on la regarde.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for iridescence, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is iridescence, spelled I-R-I-D-E-S-C-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Phénomène selon lequel une surface paraît de couleur différente selon l’angle sous lequel on la regarde.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how iridescence appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Enfin, le colibri d’Anna est doué d’un des plus magnifiques phénomènes que propose la nature : l’iridescence ou le changement de coloration selon l’angle d'observation.
  2. Certaines couleurs, dont le blanc, le vert, le bleu, ainsi que l’iridescence, sont dues à la structure des plumes, plutôt qu’à des pigments […], et ne sont donc pas dépendantes d’un régime alimentaire particulier.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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 "iridescence"?
"iridescence" is spelled I-R-I-D-E-S-C-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is \i.ʁi.de.sɑ̃s\.
What does "iridescence" mean?
As a noun, "iridescence" means: Phénomène selon lequel une surface paraît de couleur différente selon l’angle sous lequel on la regarde.
How do you pronounce "iridescence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "iridescence" is \i.ʁi.de.sɑ̃s\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "iridescence" come from?
"iridescence" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list