poltron

\pɔl.tʁɔ̃\

/\pɔl.tʁɔ̃\/ adj

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

The verdict

“poltron” is an uncommon French word, ranked #70,120 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#70,120
frequency rank, French
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui manque de courage ; qui agit avec lâcheté.

Key facts for poltron
PropertyValue
Headwordpoltron
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\pɔl.tʁɔ̃\
Letters7
Frequency rank#70,120
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “poltron” 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). poltron 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 poltron is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pɔl.tʁɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #70,120 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for poltron in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is poltron, spelled P-O-L-T-R-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui manque de courage ; qui agit avec lâcheté.
  2. 2
    Qu’on ne peut parvenir à dresser.

This word in other languages

poltroon(English)Feigling(Deutsch)poltrão(Português)

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 "poltron"?
"poltron" is spelled P-O-L-T-R-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \pɔl.tʁɔ̃\.
What does "poltron" mean?
As an adjective, "poltron" means: Qui manque de courage ; qui agit avec lâcheté.
How do you pronounce "poltron"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poltron" is \pɔl.tʁɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "poltron" come from?
"poltron" 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 “poltron”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-O-L-T-R-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pɔl.tʁɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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