prendre la mer

\pʁɑ̃.dʁə la mɛʁ\

/\pʁɑ̃.dʁə la mɛʁ\/ verb

The verdict

“prendre la mer” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Commencer un voyage sur la mer.

Key facts for prendre la mer
PropertyValue
Headwordprendre la mer
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\pʁɑ̃.dʁə la mɛʁ\
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “prendre la mer” sits in French frequency

prendre la mer falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for prendre la mer is 14 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pʁɑ̃.dʁə la mɛʁ\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Commencer un voyage sur la mer.".

No misspelling variants are generated for prendre la mer in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is prendre la mer, spelled P-R-E-N-D-R-E- -L-A- -M-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Commencer un voyage sur la mer.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "prendre la mer"?
"prendre la mer" is spelled P-R-E-N-D-R-E- -L-A- -M-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \pʁɑ̃.dʁə la mɛʁ\.
What does "prendre la mer" mean?
As a verb, "prendre la mer" means: Commencer un voyage sur la mer.
How do you pronounce "prendre la mer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prendre la mer" is \pʁɑ̃.dʁə la mɛʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "prendre la mer" come from?
"prendre la mer" 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 “prendre la mer”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-R-E-N-D-R-E- -L-A- -M-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pʁɑ̃.dʁə la mɛʁ\ (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