sables mouvants

\sa.blə mu.vɑ̃\

/\sa.blə mu.vɑ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“sables mouvants” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Zones de sol en apparence ferme mais dans lesquelles on s’enlise, parfois dangereusement, lorsqu’on s’y engage.

Key facts for sables mouvants
PropertyValue
Headwordsables mouvants
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\sa.blə mu.vɑ̃\
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sables mouvants” sits in French frequency

sables mouvants falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

sables mouvants is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \sa.blə mu.vɑ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for sables mouvants in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is sables mouvants, spelled S-A-B-L-E-S- -M-O-U-V-A-N-T-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Zones de sol en apparence ferme mais dans lesquelles on s’enlise, parfois dangereusement, lorsqu’on s’y engage.
  2. 2
    Situation périlleuse où une action mal à propos peut envenimer les choses.

This word in other languages

quicksand(English)Treibsand(Deutsch)

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 "sables mouvants"?
"sables mouvants" is spelled S-A-B-L-E-S- -M-O-U-V-A-N-T-S. The IPA pronunciation is \sa.blə mu.vɑ̃\.
What does "sables mouvants" mean?
As a noun, "sables mouvants" means: Zones de sol en apparence ferme mais dans lesquelles on s’enlise, parfois dangereusement, lorsqu’on s’y engage.
How do you pronounce "sables mouvants"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sables mouvants" is \sa.blə mu.vɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sables mouvants" come from?
"sables mouvants" 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 “sables mouvants”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-A-B-L-E-S- -M-O-U-V-A-N-T-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \sa.blə mu.vɑ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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