passage

\pɑ.saʒ\

/\pɑ.saʒ\/ noun

The verdict

“passage” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #744 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#744
frequency rank, French
7
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Action de passer.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

passage vs passé
57% similar
passage vs passée
71% similar
passage vs pavage
71% similar

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

Key facts for passage
PropertyValue
Headwordpassage
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pɑ.saʒ\
Letters7
Frequency rank#744
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “passage” 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). passage 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 passage is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pɑ.saʒ\. Corpus data places it at rank #744 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 18 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for passage, with forms such as "apssage", "pasage", and "pasasge". 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, "passé", "passée", "pavage", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is passage, spelled P-A-S-S-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Action de passer.
  2. 2
    Cette action en parlant des animaux migrateurs.
  3. 3
    Cette action en parlant des liquides et des gaz.
  4. 4
    Interposition d’un astre entre l’œil d’un observateur et d’autres corps célestes : transit.
  5. 5
    Transition.
  6. 6
    Changement d’une situation, d’une disposition d’âme en une autre.
  7. 7
    Lieu par où l’on passe.
  8. 8
    Lieu où passe le gibier.
  9. 9
    Traversée : composant, élément permettant à l’électricité, à un fluide, à la lumière voire à une action mécanique de passer à travers une paroi.
  10. 10
    Galerie couverte et réservé aux piétons, qui servent de dégagement aux rues voisines.
  11. 11
    Va-et-vient ; fréquentation.
  12. 12
    Droit général ou particulier de passer sur la propriété d’autrui, par prescription ou par convention.
  13. 13
    Péage pour traverser une rivière dans un bac ou dans un bateau, pour passer sur un pont, par une écluse, etc.
  14. 14
    Somme qu’il faut payer pour un voyage sur mer, pour une traversée.
  15. 15
    Partie du texte d’un ouvrage, d'un article, d'un document, etc.
  16. 16
    Quelques mesures ou quelques phrases d’une œuvre.
  17. 17
    Procédé de sous-culture de cellules animales.
  18. 18
    Sorte d’allure lente du cheval.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: apssage,pasage,pasasge,passaeg,passagge,passgae,ppassage,psasage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of passage - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

apssage2pasage1pasasge2passaeg2passagge1passgae2ppassage1psasage2
Edit distance from "passage"

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 "passage"?
"passage" is spelled P-A-S-S-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pɑ.saʒ\.
What does "passage" mean?
As a noun, "passage" means: Action de passer.
What words are commonly confused with "passage"?
"passage" is commonly confused with "passé", "passée", "pavage". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "passage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "passage" is \pɑ.saʒ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "passage" come from?
"passage" 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 “passage”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-A-S-S-A-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pɑ.saʒ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “passé” - see the side-by-side comparison. passage vs passé
  • 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