matière

\ma.tjɛʁ\

/\ma.tjɛʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“matière” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #825 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#825
frequency rank, French
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ce qui a de la masse et occupe de l’espace.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

matière vs métier
57% similar
matière vs mature
71% similar
matière vs matter
57% similar

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

Key facts for matière
PropertyValue
Headwordmatière
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ma.tjɛʁ\
Letters7
Frequency rank#825
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “matière” 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). matière 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 matière is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ma.tjɛʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #825 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 9 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 matière, with forms such as "amtière", "maitère", and "matiere". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "métier", "mature", "matter", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

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 matière, spelled M-A-T-I-È-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ce qui a de la masse et occupe de l’espace.
  2. 2
    Ce dont une chose est faite.
  3. 3
    Substance étendue, divisible et susceptible de recevoir toute sorte de formes.
  4. 4
    Qualité des éléments matériels qui entrent dans la réalisation d’une œuvre d’art.
  5. 5
    Sujet sur lequel on écrit, on parle.
  6. 6
    Sujet enseigné dans un cadre d’un cours.
  7. 7
    Quelques-unes des parties qui composent la science du droit.
  8. 8
    Sujet qu’on propose à des élèves pour le mettre en narration, en discours, en vers.
  9. 9
    Substances évacuées par le haut ou par le bas, c’est-à-dire par l’anus ou la bouche.

Synonyms

sujetsubstance

This word in other languages

matter(English)materia(Español)Stoff(Deutsch)matéria(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amtière,maitère,matiere,matirèe,matièer,matièrre,mattière,matèire,mmatière,mtaière

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amtière2maitère2matiere1matirèe2matièer2matièrre1mattière1matèire2
Edit distance from "matière"

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 "matière"?
"matière" is spelled M-A-T-I-È-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ma.tjɛʁ\.
What does "matière" mean?
As a noun, "matière" means: Ce qui a de la masse et occupe de l’espace.
What words are commonly confused with "matière"?
"matière" is commonly confused with "métier", "mature", "matter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "matière"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "matière" is \ma.tjɛʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "matière" come from?
"matière" 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.

Using “matière”

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

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