piste

\pist\

/\pist\/ noun

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

The verdict

“piste” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #1,963 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,963
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Trace qu’a laissée un animal ou un homme sur le sol où il a marché.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

piste vs pit
60% similar
piste vs pose
60% similar
piste vs Post
40% similar

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

Key facts for piste
PropertyValue
Headwordpiste
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pist\
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,963
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “piste” 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). piste 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 piste is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pist\. Corpus data places it at rank #1,963 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 piste, with forms such as "ipste", "piset", and "pisste". 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, "pit", "pose", "Post", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is piste, spelled P-I-S-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Trace qu’a laissée un animal ou un homme sur le sol où il a marché.
  2. 2
    Trace qu’a laissée un animal ou un homme sur le sol où il a marché.
  3. 3
    Chemin rudimentaire, sommairement aménagé.
  4. 4
    Ce qui aide à découvrir.
  5. 5
    Ligne que le cheval trace sur le terrain. Elle est simple ou double selon que les pieds de derrière suivent ou non la ligne courbe ou droite qu’ont tracée les pieds de devant.
  6. 6
    Terrain aménagé pour les courses de chevaux.
  7. 7
    Sol aménagé pour la pratique de sports, la circulation de véhicules.
  8. 8
    Piste d’atterrissage ou de décollage.
  9. 9
    Espace intérieur réservé à la pratique d'une activité de détente particulière.
  10. 10
    Arène d'un cirque où se déroule le spectacle.
  11. 11
    Sorte de plateau pour faire rouler les dés dans certains jeux.
  12. 12
    Partie sensible où enregistrer les données.
  13. 13
    Canal d’enregistrement réservé à un son avant le mixage.
  14. 14
    Cercle que parcourt une tête de lecture d’un disque dur sur un plateau.

Synonyms

indice

This word in other languages

track(English)pista(Español)faixa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ipste,piset,pisste,pistte,pitse,ppiste,psite

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ipste2piset2pisste1pistte1pitse2ppiste1psite2
Edit distance from "piste"

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 "piste"?
"piste" is spelled P-I-S-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pist\.
What does "piste" mean?
As a noun, "piste" means: Trace qu’a laissée un animal ou un homme sur le sol où il a marché.
What words are commonly confused with "piste"?
"piste" is commonly confused with "pit", "pose", "Post". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "piste"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "piste" is \pist\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "piste" come from?
"piste" 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 “piste”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-I-S-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pist\ (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. piste 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