purisme
\py.ʁism\
The verdict
“purisme” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Attachement respectueux, voire tatillon, au bon usage de la langue, perçu éventuellement comme une marque de justesse et de bon goût, mais surtout comme de la pédanterie.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | purisme |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \py.ʁism\ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “purisme” sits in French frequency
Rare enough to double-check
purisme is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \py.ʁism\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.
purisme has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is purisme, spelled P-U-R-I-S-M-E.
Definition
- 1Attachement respectueux, voire tatillon, au bon usage de la langue, perçu éventuellement comme une marque de justesse et de bon goût, mais surtout comme de la pédanterie.
- 2Attitude normative visant à défendre la pureté supposée d’une langue (rejetant par exemple les emprunts de mots étrangers et les néologismes).
- 3Respect orthodoxe de principes considérés comme intangibles relatifs à un art, une doctrine, une idéologie etc.
- 4Attention intransigeante portée à la pureté du style et à l’exactitude des mots, attribuée à un écrivain.
- 5Doctrine esthétique apparue en France en 1918 dans le prolongement du cubisme, qui prônait notamment l’épure géométrique et les aplats de couleur.
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
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Using “purisme”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is P-U-R-I-S-M-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \py.ʁism\ (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.