satellite

\sa.te.lit\

/\sa.te.lit\/ noun

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

The verdict

“satellite” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #5,923 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,923
frequency rank, French
9
letters
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Objet naturel ou artificiel qui orbite autour d’une planète.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

satellite vs satellites
90% similar

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

Key facts for satellite
PropertyValue
Headwordsatellite
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\sa.te.lit\
Letters9
Frequency rank#5,923
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “satellite” 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). satellite 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 satellite is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \sa.te.lit\. Corpus data places it at rank #5,923 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for satellite, with forms such as "astellite", "saetllite", and "satelilte". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "satellites", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is satellite, spelled S-A-T-E-L-L-I-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Objet naturel ou artificiel qui orbite autour d’une planète.
  2. 2
    Objet naturel ou artificiel animé d’un mouvement quasi périodique autour d’un corps de masse prépondérante, ce mouvement étant principalement déterminé par le champ de gravité de ce dernier.
  3. 3
    Pignon satellite ; élément d’un différentiel automobile.
  4. 4
    Homme armé qui est aux gages et à la suite d’un autre dont il exécute les volontés.
  5. 5
    Nom donné à toutes sortes de choses se trouvant à la périphérie d’une autre, ou sous son influence.
  6. 6
    Nom donné à toutes sortes de choses se trouvant à la périphérie d’une autre, ou sous son influence.
  7. 7
    Nom donné à toutes sortes de choses se trouvant à la périphérie d’une autre, ou sous son influence.
  8. 8
    Nom donné à toutes sortes de choses se trouvant à la périphérie d’une autre, ou sous son influence.
  9. 9
    Nom donné à toutes sortes de choses se trouvant à la périphérie d’une autre, ou sous son influence.
  10. 10
    Nom donné à toutes sortes de choses se trouvant à la périphérie d’une autre, ou sous son influence.
  11. 11
    Nom donné à toutes sortes de choses se trouvant à la périphérie d’une autre, ou sous son influence.

Synonyms

sbiresicairestipendié

This word in other languages

satellite(English)satélite(Español)Trabant(Deutsch)satélite(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: astellite,saetllite,satelilte,satelite,satelliet,satellitte,satelltie,satlelite,sattellite,ssatellite,staellite

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

astellite2saetllite2satelilte2satelite1satelliet2satellitte1satelltie2satlelite2
Edit distance from "satellite"

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 "satellite"?
"satellite" is spelled S-A-T-E-L-L-I-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \sa.te.lit\.
What does "satellite" mean?
As a noun, "satellite" means: Objet naturel ou artificiel qui orbite autour d’une planète.
What words are commonly confused with "satellite"?
"satellite" is commonly confused with "satellites". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "satellite"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "satellite" is \sa.te.lit\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "satellite" come from?
"satellite" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “satellite”

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

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