place

\plas\

/\plas\/ noun

The verdict

“place” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #178 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#178
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Lieu, endroit, espace qu’occupe ou que peut occuper une personne, une chose.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

place vs PLC
0% similar
place vs plan
60% similar
place vs plat
60% similar

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

Key facts for place
PropertyValue
Headwordplace
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\plas\
Letters5
Frequency rank#178
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “place” 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). place 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 place is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \plas\. Corpus data places it at rank #178 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 11 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 place, with forms such as "lpace", "palce", and "placce". 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, "PLC", "plan", "plat", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

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 place, spelled P-L-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lieu, endroit, espace qu’occupe ou que peut occuper une personne, une chose.
  2. 2
    Endroit, lieu, espace que doit occuper une personne ou une chose par rapport aux convenances, à la bienséance, etc.
  3. 3
    Logement qu’on occupe.
  4. 4
    Dignité, charge, emploi qu’une personne occupe.
  5. 5
    Rang qu’un écolier obtient dans un classement.
  6. 6
    Espace, lieu public, découvert et environné de bâtiments.
  7. 7
    Voie de circulation entourant éventuellement un tel espace.
  8. 8
    Endroit de stationnement public.
  9. 9
    Lieu où s’assemblent les agents de change, les banquiers, les négociants pour y traiter leurs affaires et y opérer leurs transactions. Bourse. Ensemble des négociants, des banquiers d’une ville.
  10. 10
    Ville de guerre ou de garnison.
  11. 11
    Classement dans une course donnant lieu à une allocation ou à rétribution des parieurs en simple placé, sans pour autant être gagnant.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: lpace,palce,placce,plaec,plcae,pllace,pplace

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lpace2palce2placce1plaec2plcae2pllace1pplace1
Edit distance from "place"

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 "place"?
"place" is spelled P-L-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is \plas\.
What does "place" mean?
As a noun, "place" means: Lieu, endroit, espace qu’occupe ou que peut occuper une personne, une chose.
What words are commonly confused with "place"?
"place" is commonly confused with "PLC", "plan", "plat". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "place"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "place" is \plas\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "place" come from?
"place" 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 “place”

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

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