petit

\pə.ti\

/\pə.ti\/ adj

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

The verdict

“petit” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #171 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#171
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - De taille réduite.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

petit vs pit
60% similar
petit vs pti
60% similar
petit vs PTT
0% similar

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

Key facts for petit
PropertyValue
Headwordpetit
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\pə.ti\
Letters5
Frequency rank#171
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “petit” 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). petit 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 petit is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pə.ti\. Corpus data places it at rank #171 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 10 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 petit, with forms such as "eptit", "peitt", and "petitt". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pit", "pti", "PTT", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is petit, spelled P-E-T-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    De taille réduite.
  2. 2
    Jeune.
  3. 3
    Mesquin ; médiocre.
  4. 4
    Qui est peu élevé en quantité, qui n’atteint pas la mesure ordinaire.
  5. 5
    En raccourci, en miniature.
  6. 6
    Marque d’affection.
  7. 7
    Marque de rabaissement.
  8. 8
    Négligeable, dont on peut s’abstenir de tenir compte dans les calculs sans qu'ils soient significativement altérés.
  9. 9
    Appel adressé à un jeune garçon.
  10. 10
    Appel répété lancé aux volailles d'une basse-cour pour les rassembler.

Synonyms

brefcourtexigufaiblemédiocreminimeminusculemodestepas plus grand que la mainrase-mottesréduitbasmesquinmineurpiètre

Antonyms

abondantamplecolossalconsidérablecopieuxétendugéantgigantesquegrandgrandiosegrosimmenseimportantlargelongnombreuxadulteâgévieuxgénéreuxgrandgrandiosemagnifiquenoble

This word in other languages

small(English)pequeño(Español)klein(Deutsch)pequeno(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eptit,peitt,petitt,petti,pettit,ppetit,pteit

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eptit2peitt2petitt1petti2pettit1ppetit1pteit2
Edit distance from "petit"

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 "petit"?
"petit" is spelled P-E-T-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is \pə.ti\.
What does "petit" mean?
As an adjective, "petit" means: De taille réduite.
What words are commonly confused with "petit"?
"petit" is commonly confused with "pit", "pti", "PTT". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "petit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "petit" is \pə.ti\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "petit" come from?
"petit" 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 “petit”

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

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