posséder

\pɔ.se.de\

/\pɔ.se.de\/ verb

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

The verdict

“posséder” has 11 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #6,986. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,986
frequency rank, French
248,534
“P” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Avoir à soi, en son pouvoir ; avoir la propriété ou la possession de.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

posséder vs possédez
88% similar
posséder vs possédés
75% similar
posséder vs possédé
75% similar

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

Key facts for posséder
PropertyValue
Headwordposséder
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\pɔ.se.de\
Letters8
Frequency rank#6,986
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “posséder” 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). posséder lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around posséder (IPA \pɔ.se.de\), averb. Corpus frequency is #6,986 among 248,534 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for posséder, with forms such as "opsséder", "possdéer", and "posseder". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "possédez", "possédés", "possédé", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is posséder, spelled P-O-S-S-É-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Avoir à soi, en son pouvoir ; avoir la propriété ou la possession de.
  2. 2
    Avoir en propre.
  3. 3
    Être doté, en parlant d’attributs.
  4. 4
    Être titulaire, en parlant des emplois, des honneurs, des qualités.
  5. 5
    Savoir bien une chose ; en avoir une parfaite connaissance.
  6. 6
    Prendre par les passions, des sentiments qui maîtrisent l’âme, qui l’agitent et l’égarent.
  7. 7
    (Sens faible) Posséder quelqu'un : l'avoir chez soi et jouir de sa compagnie.
  8. 8
    S’emparer du corps et de l’âme d'une personne, en parlant du démon.
  9. 9
    Avoir un rapport sexuel.
  10. 10
    Être maître de son esprit, de ses passions, de ses mouvements, ne pas se laisser troubler par les circonstances fâcheuses.

This word in other languages

possess(English)poseer(Español)besitzen(Deutsch)possuir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opsséder
  • possdéer
  • posseder
  • possédder
  • posséderr
  • possédre
  • posséedr
  • poséder
  • posésder
  • pposséder
  • psoséder

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

opsséder2possdéer2posseder1possédder1posséderr1possédre2posséedr2poséder1
Edit distance from "posséder"

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 "posséder"?
"posséder" is spelled P-O-S-S-É-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \pɔ.se.de\.
What does "posséder" mean?
As a verb, "posséder" means: Avoir à soi, en son pouvoir ; avoir la propriété ou la possession de.
What words are commonly confused with "posséder"?
"posséder" is commonly confused with "possédez", "possédés", "possédé". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "posséder"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "posséder" is \pɔ.se.de\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "posséder" come from?
"posséder" 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 “posséder”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-O-S-S-É-D-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pɔ.se.de\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “possédez” - see the side-by-side comparison. posséder vs possédez
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Same frequency band

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