perte

\pɛʁt\

/\pɛʁt\/ noun

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

The verdict

“perte” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #1,418 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,418
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Privation de quelque chose de précieux, d’agréable, de commode, qu’on avait.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

perte vs pré
40% similar
perte vs pet
60% similar
perte vs peut
60% similar

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

Key facts for perte
PropertyValue
Headwordperte
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pɛʁt\
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,418
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “perte” 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). perte 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 perte is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pɛʁt\. Corpus data places it at rank #1,418 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for perte, with forms such as "eprte", "peret", and "perrte". 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, "pré", "pet", "peut", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is perte, spelled P-E-R-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Privation de quelque chose de précieux, d’agréable, de commode, qu’on avait.
  2. 2
    Don des mises après échec.
  3. 3
    Disparition de personnes dont on est privé par la mort.
  4. 4
    Les hommes tués ou blessés dans une bataille.
  5. 5
    Ce qui s’échappe ; ce qui se perd.
  6. 6
    Lieu où un cours d’eau disparaît en sous-sol.
  7. 7
    Hémorragie ; menstrues ou règles abondantes.
  8. 8
    Dommage, diminution de bien, de profit.
  9. 9
    Dépense d'argent, volontaire ou non.
  10. 10
    Déficit.
  11. 11
    Ruine, en ce qui regarde le gouvernement, la fortune, la réputation, les mœurs, etc.
  12. 12
    Mauvais succès, d’un événement désavantageux dans une affaire, dans une entreprise, etc.
  13. 13
    Mauvais usage ou l’emploi inutile que l’on fait d’une chose.
  14. 14
    État de totale perdition ou de destruction.

This word in other languages

loss(English)pérdida(Español)Verlust(Deutsch)perda(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eprte,peret,perrte,pertte,petre,pperte,prete

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of perte - 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.

eprte2peret2perrte1pertte1petre2pperte1prete2
Edit distance from "perte"

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 "perte"?
"perte" is spelled P-E-R-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pɛʁt\.
What does "perte" mean?
As a noun, "perte" means: Privation de quelque chose de précieux, d’agréable, de commode, qu’on avait.
What words are commonly confused with "perte"?
"perte" is commonly confused with "pré", "pet", "peut". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "perte"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "perte" is \pɛʁt\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "perte" come from?
"perte" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “perte”

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

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