mère patrie

\mɛʁ pa.tʁi\

/\mɛʁ pa.tʁi\/ noun

The verdict

“mère patrie” 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
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - L’État, le pays qui a fondé une colonie et qui la gouverne.

Key facts for mère patrie
PropertyValue
Headwordmère patrie
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\mɛʁ pa.tʁi\
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mère patrie” sits in French frequency

mère patrie 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 mère patrie is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \mɛʁ pa.tʁi\. 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.

No misspelling variants are generated for mère patrie in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is mère patrie, spelled M-È-R-E- -P-A-T-R-I-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    L’État, le pays qui a fondé une colonie et qui la gouverne.
  2. 2
    Pays natal ; nation dont on se sent membre.

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 "mère patrie"?
"mère patrie" is spelled M-È-R-E- -P-A-T-R-I-E. The IPA pronunciation is \mɛʁ pa.tʁi\.
What does "mère patrie" mean?
As a noun, "mère patrie" means: L’État, le pays qui a fondé une colonie et qui la gouverne.
How do you pronounce "mère patrie"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mère patrie" is \mɛʁ pa.tʁi\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mère patrie" come from?
"mère patrie" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “mère patrie”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is M-È-R-E- -P-A-T-R-I-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \mɛʁ pa.tʁi\ (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