propre

\pʁɔpʁ\

/\pʁɔpʁ\/ adj

The verdict

“propre” has 9 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #513. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#513
frequency rank, French
6,826
“P” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Qui est particulier à une personne ou à une chose (exclusivement ou non).

Corpus desk

Index FR-propre · propre · French

propre · rank #513 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #513
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,826
  • PHOTO-FINISH parents

Nearest frequency peer: parents (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “propre”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “propre” sits against the nearest ranked French headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

propre vs prose
67% similar
propre vs proue
67% similar
propre vs prouve
67% similar

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

Key facts for propre
PropertyValue
Headwordpropre
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\pʁɔpʁ\
Letters6
Frequency rank#513
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “propre” 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). propre lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around propre (IPA \pʁɔpʁ\), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #513 among 6,826 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for propre, with forms such as "porpre", "ppropre", and "proper". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "prose", "proue", "prouve", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is propre, spelled P-R-O-P-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui est particulier à une personne ou à une chose (exclusivement ou non).
  2. 2
    Réel par opposition à figuré ou apparent.
  3. 3
    Exact.
  4. 4
    Même ; semblable.
  5. 5
    Apte ; bon.
  6. 6
    Convenable à quelqu’un ou à quelque chose.
  7. 7
    Convenable à quelqu’un ou à quelque chose.
  8. 8
    Nettoyé ; lavé ; bien tenu.
  9. 9
    Se dit d’un enfant qui a appris à contrôler son urination et sa défécation et à les faire dans le petit pot ou aux toilettes.
  10. 10
    Clair.
  11. 11
    Se dit d’une application entre espaces topologiques telle que la préimage de toute partie compacte soit compacte.
  12. 12
    Se dit d'un sous-ensemble différent de l'ensemble dans lequel il est inclus.
  13. 13
    (antiphrase) Dans une situation difficile.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. RueduCommerce lance ses propres tablettes tactiles sous la marque Clust. Le site de commerce électronique veut profiter de l’engouement pour les tablettes. Il propose désormais sa propre ligne de produits dans la catégorie « moyen de gamme ».
  2. Une fois qu’ils eurent perdu leur force militaire propre […], la nature de leur système politique se transforma, au point de devenir méconnaissable.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • porpre
  • ppropre
  • proper
  • proppre
  • proprre
  • prorpe
  • prpore
  • prropre
  • rpopre

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of propre - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

porpre2ppropre1proper2proppre1proprre1prorpe2prpore2prropre1
Edit distance from "propre"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "propre"?
"propre" is spelled P-R-O-P-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pʁɔpʁ\.
What does "propre" mean?
As an adjective, "propre" means: Qui est particulier à une personne ou à une chose (exclusivement ou non).
What words are commonly confused with "propre"?
"propre" is commonly confused with "prose", "proue", "prouve". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "propre"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "propre" is \pʁɔpʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "propre" come from?
"propre" 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.

Similar French words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "propre", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked French headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

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