net

\nɛt\

/\nɛt\/ adj

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

The verdict

“net” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,003 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#2,003
frequency rank, French
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui est uni, poli, sans tache ou sans souillure.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

net vs ni
33% similar
net vs no
33% similar
net vs nu
33% similar

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

Key facts for net
PropertyValue
Headwordnet
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\nɛt\
Letters3
Frequency rank#2,003
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “net” 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). net 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 net is 3 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \nɛt\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,003 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Zero misspellings are on record for net in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ni", "no", "nu", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is net, spelled N-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui est uni, poli, sans tache ou sans souillure.
  2. 2
    Qui est débarrassé, qui a été vidé.
  3. 3
    Qui est pur, sans mélange, qui n’est altéré par aucun élément étranger.
  4. 4
    Qui est sans restriction ; dont on a déduit tout élément étranger en parlant de biens, de revenus ou de quantités.
  5. 5
    Qui est uni, distinct, qui a un contour précis, qui n’est pas confus ou brouillé.
  6. 6
    Qui est précis, clair, pur en parlant des opérations et des productions de l’esprit.
  7. 7
    Franche, distincte et égale, en parlant d’une voix, d’un son.
  8. 8
    Dont le débit détache et fait entendre tous les mots, toutes les syllabes, en parlant d’un discours, d’une diction.
  9. 9
    Qui est sans difficulté, sans embarras, sans ambiguïté.
  10. 10
    Qui est franc, sans supercherie, qui ne donne lieu à aucun doute, à aucun soupçon, en parlant des personnes et des choses.

This word in other languages

clean(English)puro(Español)rein(Deutsch)

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 "net"?
"net" is spelled N-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is \nɛt\.
What does "net" mean?
As an adjective, "net" means: Qui est uni, poli, sans tache ou sans souillure.
What words are commonly confused with "net"?
"net" is commonly confused with "ni", "no", "nu". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "net"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "net" is \nɛt\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "net" come from?
"net" 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 “net”

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

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