respirer

\ʁes.pi.ʁe\

/\ʁes.pi.ʁe\/ verb

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

The verdict

“respirer” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #6,340 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#6,340
frequency rank, French
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Amener l’air dans ses poumons, assimiler l’oxygène et rejeter du gaz carbonique.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

respirer vs retirer
75% similar
respirer vs respirez
88% similar
respirer vs réparer
63% similar

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

Key facts for respirer
PropertyValue
Headwordrespirer
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ʁes.pi.ʁe\
Letters8
Frequency rank#6,340
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “respirer” 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). respirer 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 respirer is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁes.pi.ʁe\. Corpus data places it at rank #6,340 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for respirer, with forms such as "erspirer", "repsirer", and "resiprer". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "retirer", "respirez", "réparer", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is respirer, spelled R-E-S-P-I-R-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Amener l’air dans ses poumons, assimiler l’oxygène et rejeter du gaz carbonique.
  2. 2
    Vivre.
  3. 3
    Prendre un peu de relâche après de graves soucis, après de grandes peines, après un travail pénible.
  4. 4
    Amener dans les poumons et rejeter ensuite.
  5. 5
    Aspirer.
  6. 6
    Exhaler, diffuser.
  7. 7
    Annoncer, exprimer, témoigner vivement.
  8. 8
    Désirer ardemment.

This word in other languages

breathe(English)respirar(Español)atmen(Deutsch)relaxar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: erspirer,repsirer,resiprer,respierr,respirerr,respirre,respirrer,resppirer,resprier,resspirer,rrespirer,rsepirer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of respirer - 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.

erspirer2repsirer2resiprer2respierr2respirerr1respirre2respirrer1resppirer1
Edit distance from "respirer"

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 "respirer"?
"respirer" is spelled R-E-S-P-I-R-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁes.pi.ʁe\.
What does "respirer" mean?
As a verb, "respirer" means: Amener l’air dans ses poumons, assimiler l’oxygène et rejeter du gaz carbonique.
What words are commonly confused with "respirer"?
"respirer" is commonly confused with "retirer", "respirez", "réparer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "respirer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "respirer" is \ʁes.pi.ʁe\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "respirer" come from?
"respirer" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “respirer”

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

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