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 uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
23
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Vif, très rapide.

Corpus desk

Index FR-rapide-comme-un-serpent · rapide comme un serpent · French

rapide comme un serpent · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 23 letters
  • VOW-8 8 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "R" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

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)

Longue queue: rang de « rapide comme un serpent » en français

rapide comme un serpentreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

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

Rare enough to double-check

rapide comme un serpent is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \ʁa.pid kɔ.m‿œ̃ sɛʁ.pɑ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Le feu devint alors un embrasement presque sans gradation. Rapide comme un serpent, il se glisse, monte ou descend le long des cordages, s’engouffre dans les voiles, en ressort plus furieux après les avoir partagées, déchirées en mille flammèches incendiaires, et déjà, comme trois torches colossales, menace de s’élever du bas en haut des mâts
  2. Rapide comme un serpent qui frappe, la Tringle s’était jeté de côté, évitant la lame, et s’agrippait des deux mains au poignet du vieillard.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list