principe actif

\pʁɛ̃.si.p‿ak.tif\

/\pʁɛ̃.si.p‿ak.tif\/ noun

The verdict

“principe actif” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Substance qui dans un médicament possède un effet thérapeutique recherché et qui est présente la plupart du temps, en très faible proportion par rapport aux excipients.

Corpus desk

Index FR-principe-actif · principe actif · French

principe actif · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for principe actif
PropertyValue
Headwordprincipe actif
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pʁɛ̃.si.p‿ak.tif\
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « principe actif » en français

principe actifn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

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

Rare enough to double-check

principe actif is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \pʁɛ̃.si.p‿ak.tif\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Substance qui dans un médicament possède un effet thérapeutique recherché et qui est présente la plupart du temps, en très faible proportion par rapport aux excipients.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for principe actif in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is principe actif, spelled P-R-I-N-C-I-P-E- -A-C-T-I-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    Substance qui dans un médicament possède un effet thérapeutique recherché et qui est présente la plupart du temps, en très faible proportion par rapport aux excipients.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how principe actif appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Prof. Gillot. — Pour la prévention malarienne des tout petits on emploie en Algérie des chocolatines à l’aristochine contenant 5 cgrs du principe actif, et des fructines en contenant 10 cgrs.
  2. Un comprimé orodispersible se place sur la langue et le principe actif est absorbé au niveau de la muqueuse gastro-intestinale. Il se dissout dans la bouche.

This word in other languages

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 "principe actif"?
"principe actif" is spelled P-R-I-N-C-I-P-E- -A-C-T-I-F. The IPA pronunciation is \pʁɛ̃.si.p‿ak.tif\.
What does "principe actif" mean?
As a noun, "principe actif" means: Substance qui dans un médicament possède un effet thérapeutique recherché et qui est présente la plupart du temps, en très faible proportion par rapport aux excipients.
How do you pronounce "principe actif"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "principe actif" is \pʁɛ̃.si.p‿ak.tif\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "principe actif" come from?
"principe actif" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list