mettre un terme

\mɛ.tʁ‿œ̃ tɛʁm\

/\mɛ.tʁ‿œ̃ tɛʁm\/ verb

The verdict

“mettre un terme” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Faire cesser.

Corpus desk

Index FR-mettre-un-terme · mettre un terme · French

mettre un terme · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for mettre un terme
PropertyValue
Headwordmettre un terme
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\mɛ.tʁ‿œ̃ tɛʁm\
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « mettre un terme » en français

mettre un termesiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

mettre un terme is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \mɛ.tʁ‿œ̃ tɛʁm\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Faire cesser.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for mettre un terme in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is mettre un terme, spelled M-E-T-T-R-E- -U-N- -T-E-R-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Faire cesser.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how mettre un terme appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Les abbayes et les monastères, étaient à cette époque, « cavernes de voleurs, lieux de dissolution » ; les abus devenaient tellement criants, les désordres prenaient des proportions si inquiétantes, qu’à tout prix il fallait y mettre un terme ; […]
  2. D'ailleurs, le choix fait de mettre un terme aux rezzous procédait directement de cet atavisme ethnique voulant que le nomade « vive sur la bête », en l'occurrence sur le sédentaire, à l'image du laborator médiéval dont le destin était d'assurer l'entretien du bellator.

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 "mettre un terme"?
"mettre un terme" is spelled M-E-T-T-R-E- -U-N- -T-E-R-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is \mɛ.tʁ‿œ̃ tɛʁm\.
What does "mettre un terme" mean?
As a verb, "mettre un terme" means: Faire cesser.
How do you pronounce "mettre un terme"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mettre un terme" is \mɛ.tʁ‿œ̃ tɛʁm\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mettre un terme" come from?
"mettre un terme" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list