mémoire vive

\me.mwaʁ viv\

/\me.mwaʁ viv\/ noun

The verdict

“mémoire vive” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ensemble de personnes encore vivantes témoins d’un événement.

Key facts for mémoire vive
PropertyValue
Headwordmémoire vive
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\me.mwaʁ viv\
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mémoire vive” sits in French frequency

mémoire vive falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for mémoire vive is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \me.mwaʁ viv\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

mémoire vive doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is mémoire vive, spelled M-É-M-O-I-R-E- -V-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ensemble de personnes encore vivantes témoins d’un événement.
  2. 2
    Mémoire dont le contenu peut être modifié en usage normal.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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 "mémoire vive"?
"mémoire vive" is spelled M-É-M-O-I-R-E- -V-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is \me.mwaʁ viv\.
What does "mémoire vive" mean?
As a noun, "mémoire vive" means: Ensemble de personnes encore vivantes témoins d’un événement.
How do you pronounce "mémoire vive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mémoire vive" is \me.mwaʁ viv\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mémoire vive" come from?
"mémoire vive" 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 “mémoire vive”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is M-É-M-O-I-R-E- -V-I-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \me.mwaʁ viv\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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