sans encombre

\sɑ̃.z‿ɑ̃.kɔ̃bʁ\

/\sɑ̃.z‿ɑ̃.kɔ̃bʁ\/ adv

The verdict

“sans encombre” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Sans embarras ; sans obstacle.

Key facts for sans encombre
PropertyValue
Headwordsans encombre
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\sɑ̃.z‿ɑ̃.kɔ̃bʁ\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sans encombre” sits in French frequency

sans encombre 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

sans encombre is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \sɑ̃.z‿ɑ̃.kɔ̃bʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Sans embarras ; sans obstacle.".

sans encombre has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is sans encombre, spelled S-A-N-S- -E-N-C-O-M-B-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sans embarras ; sans obstacle.

This word in other languages

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 "sans encombre"?
"sans encombre" is spelled S-A-N-S- -E-N-C-O-M-B-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \sɑ̃.z‿ɑ̃.kɔ̃bʁ\.
What does "sans encombre" mean?
As an adverb, "sans encombre" means: Sans embarras ; sans obstacle.
How do you pronounce "sans encombre"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sans encombre" is \sɑ̃.z‿ɑ̃.kɔ̃bʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sans encombre" come from?
"sans encombre" 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 “sans encombre”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-A-N-S- -E-N-C-O-M-B-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \sɑ̃.z‿ɑ̃.kɔ̃bʁ\ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list