martyr

\maʁ.tiʁ\

/\maʁ.tiʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“martyr” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #12,419 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#12,419
frequency rank, French
6
letters
10
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Personne qui se laisse tuer (et souvent torturer) pour porter témoignage d'une foi chrétienne inébranlable.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

martyr vs Mary
50% similar
martyr vs mater
67% similar
martyr vs master
67% similar

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

Key facts for martyr
PropertyValue
Headwordmartyr
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\maʁ.tiʁ\
Letters6
Frequency rank#12,419
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “martyr” 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). martyr 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 martyr is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \maʁ.tiʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #12,419 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for martyr, with forms such as "amrtyr", "marrtyr", and "martry". 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 17 confusable-pair relationships, "Mary", "mater", "master", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is martyr, spelled M-A-R-T-Y-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Personne qui se laisse tuer (et souvent torturer) pour porter témoignage d'une foi chrétienne inébranlable.
  2. 2
    Personne qui est tuée ou torturée à cause de son appartenance à une religion ou de son adhésion à une doctrine qu'elle ne veut pas renier.
  3. 3
    Personne ayant involontairement subi un sort tragique dû à la méchanceté d'autres hommes.
  4. 4
    Personne subissant une situation présentée comme insupportable.
  5. 5
    Morceau de matériau destiné à être usé ou abîmé.
  6. 6
    Morceau de matériau destiné à être usé ou abîmé.
  7. 7
    Morceau de matériau destiné à être usé ou abîmé.
  8. 8
    Morceau de matériau destiné à être usé ou abîmé.
  9. 9
    Morceau de matériau destiné à être usé ou abîmé.
  10. 10
    Morceau de matériau destiné à être usé ou abîmé.
  11. 11
    Morceau de matériau destiné à être usé ou abîmé.

Synonyms

souffre-douleurbouc émissairecoin

Antonyms

bourreaubourreaubourreau

This word in other languages

martyr(English)mártir(Español)Märtyrer(Deutsch)mártir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amrtyr,marrtyr,martry,marttyr,martyrr,martyyr,marytr,matryr,mmartyr,mratyr

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of martyr - 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.

amrtyr2marrtyr1martry2marttyr1martyrr1martyyr1marytr2matryr2
Edit distance from "martyr"

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 "martyr"?
"martyr" is spelled M-A-R-T-Y-R. The IPA pronunciation is \maʁ.tiʁ\.
What does "martyr" mean?
As a noun, "martyr" means: Personne qui se laisse tuer (et souvent torturer) pour porter témoignage d'une foi chrétienne inébranlable.
What words are commonly confused with "martyr"?
"martyr" is commonly confused with "Mary", "mater", "master". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "martyr"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "martyr" is \maʁ.tiʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "martyr" come from?
"martyr" 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 “martyr”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is M-A-R-T-Y-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \maʁ.tiʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Mary” - see the side-by-side comparison. martyr vs Mary
  • 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