saphir

\sa.fiʁ\

/\sa.fiʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“saphir” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #26,530 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#26,530
frequency rank, French
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Variété de gemme de corindon, translucide et pouvant présenter de multiples couleurs, sauf la couleur rouge qui désigne alors uniquement le rubis. Sa formule chimique est Al₂O₃.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

saphir vs sapin
67% similar
saphir vs savoir
67% similar
saphir vs Sophie
50% similar

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

Key facts for saphir
PropertyValue
Headwordsaphir
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\sa.fiʁ\
Letters6
Frequency rank#26,530
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “saphir” 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). saphir 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 saphir is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \sa.fiʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #26,530 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for saphir, with forms such as "asphir", "sahpir", and "saphhir". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "sapin", "savoir", "Sophie", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is saphir, spelled S-A-P-H-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Variété de gemme de corindon, translucide et pouvant présenter de multiples couleurs, sauf la couleur rouge qui désigne alors uniquement le rubis. Sa formule chimique est Al₂O₃.
  2. 2
    Bijou orné de cette pierre.
  3. 3
    Pointe de lecture des électrophones, moins onéreuse mais moins résistante que le diamant.
  4. 4
    Nom normalisé donné à deux genres d'oiseaux-mouches de la sous-famille des trochilinés comprenant au total dix espèces caractérisées par leur bec rouge corail à extrémité noire, par leur plumage vert à reflets très métalliques, comportant des plages d'un beau bleu indigo chez la plupart des espèces, ainsi qu'une queue rousse ou à reflets bronzés, et qui fréquentent divers habitats de forêts clairsemées à travers toute l'écozone néotropicale (genres Hylocharis et Chrysuronia).

This word in other languages

sapphire(English)zafiro(Español)Saphir(Deutsch)safira(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: asphir,sahpir,saphhir,saphirr,saphri,sapihr,sapphir,spahir,ssaphir

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

asphir2sahpir2saphhir1saphirr1saphri2sapihr2sapphir1spahir2
Edit distance from "saphir"

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 "saphir"?
"saphir" is spelled S-A-P-H-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is \sa.fiʁ\.
What does "saphir" mean?
As a noun, "saphir" means: Variété de gemme de corindon, translucide et pouvant présenter de multiples couleurs, sauf la couleur rouge qui désigne alors uniquement le rubis. Sa formule chimique est Al₂O₃.
What words are commonly confused with "saphir"?
"saphir" is commonly confused with "sapin", "savoir", "Sophie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "saphir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "saphir" is \sa.fiʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "saphir" come from?
"saphir" 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 “saphir”

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

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