rencontre

\ʁɑ̃.kɔ̃tʁ\

/\ʁɑ̃.kɔ̃tʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“rencontre” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #590 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#590
frequency rank, French
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Hasard, occasion qui fait trouver fortuitement une personne, une chose.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

rencontre vs rencontrer
90% similar
rencontre vs rencontres
90% similar
rencontre vs rencontrée
90% similar

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

Key facts for rencontre
PropertyValue
Headwordrencontre
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʁɑ̃.kɔ̃tʁ\
Letters9
Frequency rank#590
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rencontre” 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). rencontre 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 rencontre is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁɑ̃.kɔ̃tʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #590 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for rencontre, with forms such as "erncontre", "recnontre", and "renccontre". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "rencontrer", "rencontres", "rencontrée", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is rencontre, spelled R-E-N-C-O-N-T-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Hasard, occasion qui fait trouver fortuitement une personne, une chose.
  2. 2
    Fait de joindre une personne en allant intentionnellement au-devant d’elle.
  3. 3
    Entrée en contact de deux corps.
  4. 4
    Conjonction ou opposition des astres.
  5. 5
    Combat singulier non prémédité.
  6. 6
    Compétition, match ou duel.
  7. 7
    Occasion, conjoncture.
  8. 8
    Trait d’esprit, une trouvaille ingénieuse d’idées ou de style.
  9. 9
    Évènement caractérisé par le passage d’un engin spatial à proximité d’un objet céleste ou d’un objet spatial.
  10. 10
    Fait de se réunir pour discuter entre pairs, ou pour découvrir une personnalité par le biais d’une série de questions.

This word in other languages

encounter(English)encuentro(Español)Begegnung(Deutsch)encontro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: erncontre,recnontre,renccontre,rencnotre,renconntre,renconrte,renconter,rencontrre,renconttre,rencotnre,renncontre,renocntre,rnecontre,rrencontre

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rencontre - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

erncontre2recnontre2renccontre1rencnotre2renconntre1renconrte2renconter2rencontrre1
Edit distance from "rencontre"

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 "rencontre"?
"rencontre" is spelled R-E-N-C-O-N-T-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁɑ̃.kɔ̃tʁ\.
What does "rencontre" mean?
As a noun, "rencontre" means: Hasard, occasion qui fait trouver fortuitement une personne, une chose.
What words are commonly confused with "rencontre"?
"rencontre" is commonly confused with "rencontrer", "rencontres", "rencontrée". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rencontre"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rencontre" is \ʁɑ̃.kɔ̃tʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "rencontre" come from?
"rencontre" 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.

Using “rencontre”

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

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