rapide comme un serpent

\ʁa.pid kɔ.m‿œ̃ sɛʁ.pɑ̃\

/\ʁa.pid kɔ.m‿œ̃ sɛʁ.pɑ̃\/ adj

The verdict

“rapide comme un serpent” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
23
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Vif, très rapide.

Key facts for rapide comme un serpent
PropertyValue
Headwordrapide comme un serpent
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ʁa.pid kɔ.m‿œ̃ sɛʁ.pɑ̃\
Letters23
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rapide comme un serpent” sits in French frequency

rapide comme un serpent falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for rapide comme un serpent is 23 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁa.pid kɔ.m‿œ̃ sɛʁ.pɑ̃\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Vif, très rapide.".

Zero misspellings are on record for rapide comme un serpent in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is rapide comme un serpent, spelled R-A-P-I-D-E- -C-O-M-M-E- -U-N- -S-E-R-P-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vif, très rapide.

Synonyms

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 "rapide comme un serpent"?
"rapide comme un serpent" is spelled R-A-P-I-D-E- -C-O-M-M-E- -U-N- -S-E-R-P-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁa.pid kɔ.m‿œ̃ sɛʁ.pɑ̃\.
What does "rapide comme un serpent" mean?
As an adjective, "rapide comme un serpent" means: Vif, très rapide.
How do you pronounce "rapide comme un serpent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rapide comme un serpent" is \ʁa.pid kɔ.m‿œ̃ sɛʁ.pɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "rapide comme un serpent" come from?
"rapide comme un serpent" 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 “rapide comme un serpent”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is R-A-P-I-D-E- -C-O-M-M-E- -U-N- -S-E-R-P-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʁa.pid kɔ.m‿œ̃ sɛʁ.pɑ̃\ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list