pretty

\ˈpɹɪt.i\

/\ˈpɹɪt.i\/ adj

The verdict

“pretty” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #19,112 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#19,112
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Joli, beau, belle ; généralement en parlant d’une femme ou d’un enfant. (voir notes)

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pretty vs prêts
50% similar
pretty vs prêté
50% similar
pretty vs Pratt
50% similar

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

Key facts for pretty
PropertyValue
Headwordpretty
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ˈpɹɪt.i\
Letters6
Frequency rank#19,112
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pretty” 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). pretty 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 pretty is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ˈpɹɪt.i\. Corpus data places it at rank #19,112 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Joli, beau, belle ; généralement en parlant d’une femme ou d’un enfant. (voir notes)".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for pretty, with forms such as "pertty", "ppretty", and "prettyy". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "prêts", "prêté", "Pratt", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is pretty, spelled P-R-E-T-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Joli, beau, belle ; généralement en parlant d’une femme ou d’un enfant. (voir notes)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: pertty,ppretty,prettyy,prety,pretyt,prretty,prtety,rpetty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pretty - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

pertty2ppretty1prettyy1prety1pretyt2prretty1prtety2rpetty2
Edit distance from "pretty"

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 "pretty"?
"pretty" is spelled P-R-E-T-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈpɹɪt.i\.
What does "pretty" mean?
As an adjective, "pretty" means: Joli, beau, belle ; généralement en parlant d’une femme ou d’un enfant. (voir notes)
What words are commonly confused with "pretty"?
"pretty" is commonly confused with "prêts", "prêté", "Pratt". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pretty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pretty" is \ˈpɹɪt.i\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pretty" come from?
"pretty" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “pretty”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-R-E-T-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈpɹɪt.i\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “prêts” - see the side-by-side comparison. pretty vs prêts
  • 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