sablier

\sa.bli.je\

/\sa.bli.je\/ noun

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

The verdict

“sablier” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #35,713 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#35,713
frequency rank, French
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Petit instrument composé de deux récipients de verre ajustés de manière que le sable fin qui est dans l’une s’écoule peu à peu dans l’autre par une petite ouverture.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sablier vs salir
71% similar
sablier vs saluer
71% similar
sablier vs saboter
71% similar

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

Key facts for sablier
PropertyValue
Headwordsablier
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\sa.bli.je\
Letters7
Frequency rank#35,713
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sablier” 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). sablier 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 sablier is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \sa.bli.je\. Corpus data places it at rank #35,713 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for sablier, with forms such as "asblier", "sabblier", and "sabiler". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "salir", "saluer", "saboter", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is sablier, spelled S-A-B-L-I-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Petit instrument composé de deux récipients de verre ajustés de manière que le sable fin qui est dans l’une s’écoule peu à peu dans l’autre par une petite ouverture.
  2. 2
    Temps durant lequel s’écoule le sable dans ce dernier.
  3. 3
    Petit récipient contenant du sable fin destiné à être répandu sur l’écriture pour la sécher.
  4. 4
    Petit arbre d’Amérique, dont le fruit, qui est une capsule dure et très sèche, peut s’employer en guise de récipient pour mettre du sable pour sécher l’écriture.
  5. 5
    Icône représentant un sablier sur le curseur et indiquant qu’une tâche est en attente.

This word in other languages

hourglass(English)haba(Español)Sanduhr(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: asblier,sabblier,sabiler,sableir,sablierr,sablire,sabllier,salbier,sbalier,ssablier

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

asblier2sabblier1sabiler2sableir2sablierr1sablire2sabllier1salbier2
Edit distance from "sablier"

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 "sablier"?
"sablier" is spelled S-A-B-L-I-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \sa.bli.je\.
What does "sablier" mean?
As a noun, "sablier" means: Petit instrument composé de deux récipients de verre ajustés de manière que le sable fin qui est dans l’une s’écoule peu à peu dans l’autre par une petite ouverture.
What words are commonly confused with "sablier"?
"sablier" is commonly confused with "salir", "saluer", "saboter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sablier"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sablier" is \sa.bli.je\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sablier" come from?
"sablier" 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 “sablier”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-A-B-L-I-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \sa.bli.je\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “salir” - see the side-by-side comparison. sablier vs salir
  • 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