mean
\ˈmin\
The verdict
“mean” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #29,857 in French word frequency and used as a verb.
- #29,857
- frequency rank, French
- 4
- letters
- 3
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Signifier, vouloir dire.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mean |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | \ˈmin\ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #29,857 |
| Misspellings tracked | 3 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mean” sits in French frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The French entry for mean is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ˈmin\. Corpus data places it at rank #29,857 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for mean, with forms such as "eman", "meann", and "mmean". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "MN", "mon", "mes", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
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 mean, spelled M-E-A-N.
Definition
- 1Signifier, vouloir dire.
- 2Prévoir, avoir l’intention de.
- 3Impliquer.
- 4Être sérieux dans. Note d’usage : Le COD est ce que dit le sujet.
Synonyms
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: eman,meann,mmean
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mean - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “mean”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is M-E-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \ˈmin\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “MN” - see the side-by-side comparison. mean vs MN
- 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.