prétexter

\pʁe.tɛks.te\

/\pʁe.tɛks.te\/ verb

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

The verdict

“prétexter” is an uncommon French word, ranked #82,371 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#82,371
frequency rank, French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Prendre pour prétexte.

Key facts for prétexter
PropertyValue
Headwordprétexter
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\pʁe.tɛks.te\
Letters9
Frequency rank#82,371
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “prétexter” 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). prétexter 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 prétexter is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pʁe.tɛks.te\. Corpus data places it at rank #82,371 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Prendre pour prétexte.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for prétexter in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is prétexter, spelled P-R-É-T-E-X-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Prendre pour prétexte.

This word in other languages

pretend(English)fingir(Español)angeben(Deutsch)

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 "prétexter"?
"prétexter" is spelled P-R-É-T-E-X-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \pʁe.tɛks.te\.
What does "prétexter" mean?
As a verb, "prétexter" means: Prendre pour prétexte.
How do you pronounce "prétexter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prétexter" is \pʁe.tɛks.te\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "prétexter" come from?
"prétexter" 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 “prétexter”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-R-É-T-E-X-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pʁe.tɛks.te\ (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