Léthé

\le.te\

/\le.te\/ name

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - En mythologie grecque, fleuve des Enfers où les ombres des morts allaient boire pour oublier le passé.

Corpus desk

Index FR-lethe · Léthé · French

Léthé · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" 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 Léthé
PropertyValue
HeadwordLéthé
LanguageFrench
Part of speechProper noun
IPA\le.te\
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « Léthé » en français

Léthésiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

Léthé is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as aproper noun, transcribed \le.te\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for Léthé in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is Léthé, spelled L-É-T-H-É.

Definition

  1. 1
    En mythologie grecque, fleuve des Enfers où les ombres des morts allaient boire pour oublier le passé.
  2. 2
    Oubli.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ces âmes [des champs Élysées, après mille ans] allaient boire de l’eau du Léthé, et demandaient instamment à rentrer dans de nouveaux corps, et à revoir la lumière du jour.
  2. Il n’a su réchauffer ce cadavre hébété Où coule au lieu de sang l’eau verte du Léthé.

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 "Léthé"?
"Léthé" is spelled L-É-T-H-É. The IPA pronunciation is \le.te\.
What does "Léthé" mean?
As a proper noun, "Léthé" means: En mythologie grecque, fleuve des Enfers où les ombres des morts allaient boire pour oublier le passé.
How do you pronounce "Léthé"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Léthé" is \le.te\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Léthé" come from?
"Léthé" 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