retrouver

\ʁə.tʁu.ve\

/\ʁə.tʁu.ve\/ verb

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

The verdict

“retrouver” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #829 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#829
frequency rank, French
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Revenir en contact avec quelqu'un ou quelque chose dont on avait été séparé, qu'on avait perdu ou qu'on avait oublié.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

retrouver vs retrouvez
89% similar
retrouver vs retrouvés
78% similar
retrouver vs retrouvera
90% similar

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

Key facts for retrouver
PropertyValue
Headwordretrouver
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ʁə.tʁu.ve\
Letters9
Frequency rank#829
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “retrouver” 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). retrouver 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 retrouver is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁə.tʁu.ve\. Corpus data places it at rank #829 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 7 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 retrouver, with forms such as "ertrouver", "rertouver", and "retoruver". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "retrouvez", "retrouvés", "retrouvera", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is retrouver, spelled R-E-T-R-O-U-V-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Revenir en contact avec quelqu'un ou quelque chose dont on avait été séparé, qu'on avait perdu ou qu'on avait oublié.
  2. 2
    Revenir en contact avec quelque chose qui avait été perdu, voire oublié, par quelqu'un d'autre.
  3. 3
    Récupérer, rentrer en possession de quelque chose qu'on avait perdu ou oublié.
  4. 4
    Rejoindre.
  5. 5
    Reconnaître.
  6. 6
    Reconnaître son chemin, s’orienter, se repérer.
  7. 7
    Prendre ou reprendre une position ou une situation.

This word in other languages

refind(English)finden(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ertrouver,rertouver,retoruver,retrouevr,retrouverr,retrouvre,retrouvver,retrovuer,retrrouver,retruover,rettrouver,rretrouver,rterouver

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ertrouver2rertouver2retoruver2retrouevr2retrouverr1retrouvre2retrouvver1retrovuer2
Edit distance from "retrouver"

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 "retrouver"?
"retrouver" is spelled R-E-T-R-O-U-V-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁə.tʁu.ve\.
What does "retrouver" mean?
As a verb, "retrouver" means: Revenir en contact avec quelqu'un ou quelque chose dont on avait été séparé, qu'on avait perdu ou qu'on avait oublié.
What words are commonly confused with "retrouver"?
"retrouver" is commonly confused with "retrouvez", "retrouvés", "retrouvera". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "retrouver"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "retrouver" is \ʁə.tʁu.ve\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "retrouver" come from?
"retrouver" 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 “retrouver”

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

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