race

\ʁas\

/\ʁas\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“race” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,098 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,098
frequency rank, French
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Lignée ; ensemble des ascendants et des descendants d’une même famille.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

race vs Re
25% similar
race vs RC
0% similar
race vs rue
50% similar

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

Key facts for race
PropertyValue
Headwordrace
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʁas\
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,098
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “race” 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). race 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 race is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁas\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,098 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for race, with forms such as "arce", "racce", and "raec". 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, "Re", "RC", "rue", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is race, spelled R-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lignée ; ensemble des ascendants et des descendants d’une même famille.
  2. 2
    ^([1]) Groupe d’individus qui se distingue d’autres groupes par un ensemble de caractères physiques dont on attribue la constance, non pas à l’action du milieu, mais à une lointaine hérédité.
  3. 3
    ^([1]) Variété physique constante dans l’espèce humaine.
  4. 4
    Rapport social où les individus sont assignés à une identité et un statut qui justifie leur position dominée dans les rapports sociaux.
  5. 5
    Classe d’hommes exerçant la même profession, ou ayant des inclinations, des habitudes qui leur sont communes.
  6. 6
    Subdivision des animaux, qui vient au-dessous de l’espèce ou de la sous-espèce, obtenue en lignée pure et dont l’unité est déterminée sur des critères morphologiques ou de performances économiques.
  7. 7
    Espèce animale, voire l’espèce humaine.
  8. 8
    Qualité nette et pure.
  9. 9
    Peuple ou espèce, distinguable par certaines caractéristiques physiologiques, à laquelle appartient un personnage dans certains univers de fiction.
  10. 10
    Cuite ; murge.

This word in other languages

race(English)raza(Español)Rasse(Deutsch)estirpe(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: arce,racce,raec,rcae,rrace

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

arce2racce1raec2rcae2rrace1
Edit distance from "race"

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 "race"?
"race" is spelled R-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁas\.
What does "race" mean?
As a noun, "race" means: Lignée ; ensemble des ascendants et des descendants d’une même famille.
What words are commonly confused with "race"?
"race" is commonly confused with "Re", "RC", "rue". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "race"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "race" is \ʁas\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "race" come from?
"race" 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.

Using “race”

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

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