phase

\fɑz\

/\fɑz\/ noun

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

The verdict

“phase” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #1,783 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,783
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - États successifs par lesquels passent certains phénomènes de la vie, de l’histoire.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

phase vs pose
60% similar
phase vs place
60% similar
phase vs prise
60% similar

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

Key facts for phase
PropertyValue
Headwordphase
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\fɑz\
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,783
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “phase” 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). phase 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 phase is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \fɑz\. Corpus data places it at rank #1,783 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 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 phase, with forms such as "hpase", "pahse", and "phaes". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pose", "place", "prise", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

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 phase, spelled P-H-A-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    États successifs par lesquels passent certains phénomènes de la vie, de l’histoire.
  2. 2
    Cycle d’apparition de la lune et d’autres planètes, suivant la manière dont elles reçoivent la lumière du soleil au cours de leur révolution.
  3. 3
    Décalage angulaire entre des tensions ou signaux de forme sinusoïdale.
  4. 4
    Fil conducteur, également appelé fil de phase, qui transporte un courant alternatif provenant d’une même source, déphasé par rapport à une autre phase.
  5. 5
    Sortie indépendante (ayant son propre étage de stabilisation) d’une même alimentation continue. référence nécessaire (résoudre le problème)
  6. 6
    L’un des divers états de la matière qui coexistent à un instant donné.
  7. 7
    Différents états ou « variations » d'une « composante » d'un concept chez Gilles Deleuze et Félix Guattari.
  8. 8
    Génération d’un modèle de voiture caractérisée par des éléments (surtout stylistiques) spécifiques à une période donnée.

This word in other languages

phase(English)fase(Español)Phase(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hpase,pahse,phaes,phasse,phhase,phsae,pphase

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of phase - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

hpase2pahse2phaes2phasse1phhase1phsae2pphase1
Edit distance from "phase"

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 "phase"?
"phase" is spelled P-H-A-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is \fɑz\.
What does "phase" mean?
As a noun, "phase" means: États successifs par lesquels passent certains phénomènes de la vie, de l’histoire.
What words are commonly confused with "phase"?
"phase" is commonly confused with "pose", "place", "prise". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "phase"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "phase" is \fɑz\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "phase" come from?
"phase" 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 “phase”

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

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