plier

\pli.je\

/\pli.je\/ verb

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

The verdict

“plier” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #9,215 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#9,215
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Mettre en double une ou plusieurs fois, en parlant du linge, des étoffes, du papier, etc.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

plier vs prié
40% similar
plier vs plis
60% similar
plier vs puer
60% similar

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

Key facts for plier
PropertyValue
Headwordplier
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\pli.je\
Letters5
Frequency rank#9,215
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “plier” 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). plier 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 plier is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pli.je\. Corpus data places it at rank #9,215 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 12 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 plier, with forms such as "lpier", "piler", and "pleir". 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, "prié", "plis", "puer", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, 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 plier, spelled P-L-I-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mettre en double une ou plusieurs fois, en parlant du linge, des étoffes, du papier, etc.
  2. 2
    Rabattre l’une sur l’autre les parties d’un objet.
  3. 3
    Courber, fléchir.
  4. 4
    Assujettir, soumettre, faire céder, accoutumer.
  5. 5
    Amener la tête du cheval en dedans ou en dehors, afin de lui rendre l’encolure souple et de lui donner de la facilité dans les épaules.
  6. 6
    Terminer.
  7. 7
    Emballer, empaqueter.
  8. 8
    Ranger.
  9. 9
    Devenir courbé.
  10. 10
    Être surchargé d’affaires, être accablé par l’âge.
  11. 11
    Céder ; se soumettre.
  12. 12
    Reculer en parlant des troupes qui reculent dans un combat.

Antonyms

déplier

This word in other languages

fold(English)doblar(Español)falten(Deutsch)dobrar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: lpier,piler,pleir,plierr,plire,pllier,pplier

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lpier2piler2pleir2plierr1plire2pllier1pplier1
Edit distance from "plier"

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 "plier"?
"plier" is spelled P-L-I-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \pli.je\.
What does "plier" mean?
As a verb, "plier" means: Mettre en double une ou plusieurs fois, en parlant du linge, des étoffes, du papier, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "plier"?
"plier" is commonly confused with "prié", "plis", "puer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "plier"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "plier" is \pli.je\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "plier" come from?
"plier" 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 “plier”

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

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