périphraser

\pe.ʁi.fʁa.ze\

/\pe.ʁi.fʁa.ze\/ verb

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Utiliser une périphrase.

Corpus desk

Index FR-periphraser · périphraser · French

périphraser · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" 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 périphraser
PropertyValue
Headwordpériphraser
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\pe.ʁi.fʁa.ze\
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « périphraser » en français

périphraserreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

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

Rare enough to double-check

périphraser is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \pe.ʁi.fʁa.ze\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Utiliser une périphrase.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for périphraser, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is périphraser, spelled P-É-R-I-P-H-R-A-S-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Utiliser une périphrase.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. On dit et on se plaint continuellement que la langue française quoique bien enrichie depuis un demi siècle est encore pauvre, que dans cette langue, faute d’une riche abondance de mots et afin de ne pas se répéter on est obligé de périphraser souvent pour rendre la pensée, ce qui, dans nombre de cas, amoindrit ou détruit la précision du style et son énergie.

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 "périphraser"?
"périphraser" is spelled P-É-R-I-P-H-R-A-S-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \pe.ʁi.fʁa.ze\.
What does "périphraser" mean?
As a verb, "périphraser" means: Utiliser une périphrase.
How do you pronounce "périphraser"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "périphraser" is \pe.ʁi.fʁa.ze\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "périphraser" come from?
"périphraser" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list