prendre par surprise

\pʁɑ̃dʁ paʁ syʁ.pʁiz\

/\pʁɑ̃dʁ paʁ syʁ.pʁiz\/ verb

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

The verdict

“prendre par surprise” 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
20
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Surprendre quelqu’un, sans qu’il ne s’y attende.

Key facts for prendre par surprise
PropertyValue
Headwordprendre par surprise
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\pʁɑ̃dʁ paʁ syʁ.pʁiz\
Letters20
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “prendre par surprise” sits in French frequency

prendre par surprise 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 par surprise is 20 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pʁɑ̃dʁ paʁ syʁ.pʁiz\. 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: "Surprendre quelqu’un, sans qu’il ne s’y attende.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for prendre par surprise, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is prendre par surprise, spelled P-R-E-N-D-R-E- -P-A-R- -S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Surprendre quelqu’un, sans qu’il ne s’y attende.

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 par surprise"?
"prendre par surprise" is spelled P-R-E-N-D-R-E- -P-A-R- -S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pʁɑ̃dʁ paʁ syʁ.pʁiz\.
What does "prendre par surprise" mean?
As a verb, "prendre par surprise" means: Surprendre quelqu’un, sans qu’il ne s’y attende.
How do you pronounce "prendre par surprise"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prendre par surprise" is \pʁɑ̃dʁ paʁ syʁ.pʁiz\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "prendre par surprise" come from?
"prendre par surprise" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 par surprise”

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- -P-A-R- -S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pʁɑ̃dʁ paʁ syʁ.pʁiz\ (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