sauvage

\so.vaʒ\

/\so.vaʒ\/ adj

The verdict

“sauvage” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #3,361 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#3,361
frequency rank, French
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Se dit de certains animaux qui vivent en liberté dans les bois, dans le désert, etc.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sauvage vs sauvé
57% similar
sauvage vs sauvée
71% similar
sauvage vs savane
71% similar

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

Key facts for sauvage
PropertyValue
Headwordsauvage
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\so.vaʒ\
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,361
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sauvage” 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). sauvage 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 sauvage is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \so.vaʒ\. Corpus data places it at rank #3,361 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 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for sauvage, with forms such as "asuvage", "sauavge", and "sauvaeg". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "sauvé", "sauvée", "savane", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is sauvage, spelled S-A-U-V-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Se dit de certains animaux qui vivent en liberté dans les bois, dans le désert, etc.
  2. 2
    D’une espèce ou variété non domestiquée (plante ou animal).
  3. 3
    En droit français, se dit d’un « animal non détenu ou élevé dans une exploitation ».
  4. 4
    Se dit de certaines plantes, de certains fruits qui poussent naturellement, sans qu’on prenne soin de les greffer ou de les cultiver.
  5. 5
    Qualifie le goût âpre et désagréable de certains fruits ou légumes.
  6. 6
    Qui n’a pas été touché par l’action humaine.
  7. 7
    En-dehors d'un cadre normatif défini.
  8. 8
    Désignait des peuples dont les modes de vie et les relations avec l’environnement ne s’inscrivent pas dans le modèle naturaliste occidental, mais relèvent d’autres manières de concevoir les liens entre humains et non-humains, comme l’animisme ou le totémisme, sans pour autant être plus ‘proches de la nature’ au sens où l’entend l’Occident.
  9. 9
    Qui a quelque chose de rude, de farouche.
  10. 10
    Qui se fait dans le désordre ou la violence, sans égard pour l’être humain ou pour le long terme.
  11. 11
    Qui se plaît à vivre seul et qui, soit par bizarrerie, soit par timidité, soit par indépendance ombrageuse, évite la fréquentation du monde.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: asuvage,sauavge,sauvaeg,sauvagge,sauvgae,sauvvage,savuage,ssauvage,suavage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sauvage - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

asuvage2sauavge2sauvaeg2sauvagge1sauvgae2sauvvage1savuage2ssauvage1
Edit distance from "sauvage"

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 "sauvage"?
"sauvage" is spelled S-A-U-V-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is \so.vaʒ\.
What does "sauvage" mean?
As an adjective, "sauvage" means: Se dit de certains animaux qui vivent en liberté dans les bois, dans le désert, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "sauvage"?
"sauvage" is commonly confused with "sauvé", "sauvée", "savane". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sauvage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sauvage" is \so.vaʒ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sauvage" come from?
"sauvage" 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 “sauvage”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-A-U-V-A-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \so.vaʒ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “sauvé” - see the side-by-side comparison. sauvage vs sauvé
  • 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