petitesse

\pə.ti.tɛs\

/\pə.ti.tɛs\/ noun

The verdict

“petitesse” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #44,090 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#44,090
frequency rank, French
9
letters
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Petite dimension, petite étendue, petit volume.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

petitesse vs politesse
78% similar
petitesse vs petites
78% similar

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

Key facts for petitesse
PropertyValue
Headwordpetitesse
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pə.ti.tɛs\
Letters9
Frequency rank#44,090
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “petitesse” 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). petitesse 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 petitesse is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pə.ti.tɛs\. Corpus data places it at rank #44,090 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for petitesse, with forms such as "eptitesse", "peittesse", and "petietsse". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "politesse", "petites", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No borrowing history is documented 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 petitesse, spelled P-E-T-I-T-E-S-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Petite dimension, petite étendue, petit volume.
  2. 2
    Modicité, surtout en parlant de dons, de présents.
  3. 3
    Faiblesse.
  4. 4
    Étroitesse ; mesquinerie.
  5. 5
    Actions qui dénotent cette petitesse.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eptitesse,peittesse,petietsse,petitese,petiteses,petitsese,petittesse,pettiesse,pettitesse,ppetitesse,pteitesse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eptitesse2peittesse2petietsse2petitese1petiteses2petitsese2petittesse1pettiesse2
Edit distance from "petitesse"

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 "petitesse"?
"petitesse" is spelled P-E-T-I-T-E-S-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pə.ti.tɛs\.
What does "petitesse" mean?
As a noun, "petitesse" means: Petite dimension, petite étendue, petit volume.
What words are commonly confused with "petitesse"?
"petitesse" is commonly confused with "politesse", "petites". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "petitesse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "petitesse" is \pə.ti.tɛs\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "petitesse" come from?
"petitesse" 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.

Using “petitesse”

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

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