putréfaction

\py.tʁe.fak.sjɔ̃\

/\py.tʁe.fak.sjɔ̃\/ noun

The verdict

“putréfaction” is uncommon French (frequency #52,930 among 248,534 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,930
frequency rank, French
248,534
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Décomposition que subissent, dans certaines conditions de chaleur et d’humidité, les corps organisés privés de vie.

Corpus desk

Index FR-putrefaction · putréfaction · French

putréfaction · rank #52,930 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,930
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 248,534
  • PHOTO-FINISH puritain

Nearest frequency peer: puritain (-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 “putréfaction”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “putréfaction” 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 May 6, 2026
Key facts for putréfaction
PropertyValue
Headwordputréfaction
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\py.tʁe.fak.sjɔ̃\
Letters12
Frequency rank#52,930
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “putréfaction” 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). putréfaction lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

putréfaction is uncommon French at frequency #52,930 among 248,534 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \py.tʁe.fak.sjɔ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

putréfaction has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is putréfaction, spelled P-U-T-R-É-F-A-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Décomposition que subissent, dans certaines conditions de chaleur et d’humidité, les corps organisés privés de vie.
  2. 2
    Décomposition d'une organisation.

Synonyms

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 May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "putréfaction"?
"putréfaction" is spelled P-U-T-R-É-F-A-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \py.tʁe.fak.sjɔ̃\.
What does "putréfaction" mean?
As a noun, "putréfaction" means: Décomposition que subissent, dans certaines conditions de chaleur et d’humidité, les corps organisés privés de vie.
How do you pronounce "putréfaction"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "putréfaction" is \py.tʁe.fak.sjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "putréfaction" come from?
"putréfaction" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "putréfaction", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked French headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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