sans rire
\sɑ̃ ʁiʁ\
The verdict
“sans rire” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Sérieusement.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | sans rire |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Phrase |
| IPA | \sɑ̃ ʁiʁ\ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “sans rire” sits in French frequency
Rare enough to double-check
sans rire is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed \sɑ̃ ʁiʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
sans rire doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
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 rire, spelled S-A-N-S- -R-I-R-E.
Definition
- 1Sérieusement.
- 2Exprime un ton ironique ou que l’on ne croit pas à son interlocuteur.
Synonyms
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
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Using “sans rire”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is S-A-N-S- -R-I-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \sɑ̃ ʁiʁ\ (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.