retourner

\ʁə.tuʁ.ne\

/\ʁə.tuʁ.ne\/ verb

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

The verdict

“retourner” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,055 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#2,055
frequency rank, French
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Aller de nouveau en un lieu.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

retourner vs retournés
78% similar
retourner vs retournez
89% similar
retourner vs retournera
90% similar

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

Key facts for retourner
PropertyValue
Headwordretourner
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ʁə.tuʁ.ne\
Letters9
Frequency rank#2,055
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “retourner” 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). retourner 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 retourner is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁə.tuʁ.ne\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,055 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 19 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for retourner, with forms such as "ertourner", "reoturner", and "retoruner". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "retournés", "retournez", "retournera", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is retourner, spelled R-E-T-O-U-R-N-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Aller de nouveau en un lieu.
  2. 2
    Revenir au lieu d’où l’on est venu.
  3. 3
    Recommencer à faire les mêmes choses, les mêmes actions.
  4. 4
    Faire retour.
  5. 5
    Tourner d’un autre côté.
  6. 6
    Imputer à autrui ses propres turpitudes.
  7. 7
    Refaire, réparer, un vêtement, en mettant en dehors l’envers du tissu quand l’endroit est usé.
  8. 8
    Remuer en tous sens pour lui faire prendre l’assaisonnement, en parlant d’une salade.
  9. 9
    Bêcher, labourer, pour implanter une culture.
  10. 10
    Faire changer d’avis ou de parti à quelqu’un.
  11. 11
    Remuer pour chercher.
  12. 12
    Renvoyer une information, une valeur après l’exécution d’une commande ou d’une instruction dans le cadre d’une fonction.
  13. 13
    Renvoyer.
  14. 14
    Émouvoir.
  15. 15
    De quoi il retourne équivaut à de quoi il s’agit, ce dont il est question.
  16. 16
    Ressembler à l’un de ses parents.
  17. 17
    Se tourner dans un autre sens.
  18. 18
    Prendre d’autres moyens, prendre d’autres arrangements en rapport avec des circonstances, des conditions nouvelles.
  19. 19
    Donner un coup.

This word in other languages

turn around(English)volver(Español)zurückkehren(Deutsch)virar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ertourner,reoturner,retoruner,retounrer,retourenr,retournerr,retournner,retournre,retourrner,rettourner,retuorner,rretourner,rteourner

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ertourner2reoturner2retoruner2retounrer2retourenr2retournerr1retournner1retournre2
Edit distance from "retourner"

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 "retourner"?
"retourner" is spelled R-E-T-O-U-R-N-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁə.tuʁ.ne\.
What does "retourner" mean?
As a verb, "retourner" means: Aller de nouveau en un lieu.
What words are commonly confused with "retourner"?
"retourner" is commonly confused with "retournés", "retournez", "retournera". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "retourner"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "retourner" is \ʁə.tuʁ.ne\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "retourner" come from?
"retourner" 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 “retourner”

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

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