pensionnaire

\pɑ̃.sjɔ.nɛʁ\

/\pɑ̃.sjɔ.nɛʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“pensionnaire” has 15 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #21,419. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,419
frequency rank, French
248,534
“P” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Celui ou celle qui paie pension.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pensionnaire vs pensionnaires
92% similar

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

Key facts for pensionnaire
PropertyValue
Headwordpensionnaire
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pɑ̃.sjɔ.nɛʁ\
Letters12
Frequency rank#21,419
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pensionnaire” 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). pensionnaire lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around pensionnaire (IPA \pɑ̃.sjɔ.nɛʁ\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,419 among 248,534 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for pensionnaire, with forms such as "epnsionnaire", "penisonnaire", and "pennsionnaire". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "pensionnaires", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is pensionnaire, spelled P-E-N-S-I-O-N-N-A-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Celui ou celle qui paie pension.
  2. 2
    Animal mis par son propriétaire en élevage chez un éleveur, moyennant le paiement d'une pension.
  3. 3
    Celui ou celle qui, moyennant un prix convenu, loge dans une école, un collège, un lycée pour y être instruit.
  4. 4
    Prostituée exerçant dans une maison close.
  5. 5
    Celui ou celle qui reçoit une pension d’un État, d’une société, etc.
  6. 6
    Comédien de la Comédie française qui ne participe pas aux bénéfices de la société et qui reçoit un traitement fixe.
  7. 7
    Titre qu’on donnait, en Hollande, au premier ministre des États, ainsi qu’au ministre de la régence de chaque ville.
  8. 8
    Cheval de course considéré relativement à son écurie ou son entraîneur.

Antonyms

externesociétaire

This word in other languages

boarder(English)huésped(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epnsionnaire
  • penisonnaire
  • pennsionnaire
  • pensinonaire
  • pensionaire
  • pensionanire
  • pensionnaier
  • pensionnairre
  • pensionnarie
  • pensionniare
  • pensoinnaire
  • penssionnaire
  • pesnionnaire
  • pnesionnaire
  • ppensionnaire

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pensionnaire - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

epnsionnaire2penisonnaire2pennsionnaire1pensinonaire2pensionaire1pensionanire2pensionnaier2pensionnairre1
Edit distance from "pensionnaire"

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 "pensionnaire"?
"pensionnaire" is spelled P-E-N-S-I-O-N-N-A-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pɑ̃.sjɔ.nɛʁ\.
What does "pensionnaire" mean?
As a noun, "pensionnaire" means: Celui ou celle qui paie pension.
What words are commonly confused with "pensionnaire"?
"pensionnaire" is commonly confused with "pensionnaires". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pensionnaire"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pensionnaire" is \pɑ̃.sjɔ.nɛʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pensionnaire" come from?
"pensionnaire" 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 “pensionnaire”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-E-N-S-I-O-N-N-A-I-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pɑ̃.sjɔ.nɛʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “pensionnaires” - see the side-by-side comparison. pensionnaire vs pensionnaires
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Same frequency band

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