savant

\sa.vɑ̃\

/\sa.vɑ̃\/ adj

The verdict

“savant” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #10,942 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#10,942
frequency rank, French
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui sait beaucoup en matière d’érudition ou de science.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

savant vs savon
67% similar
savant vs savent
83% similar
savant vs savons
67% similar

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

Key facts for savant
PropertyValue
Headwordsavant
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\sa.vɑ̃\
Letters6
Frequency rank#10,942
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “savant” 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). savant 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 savant is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \sa.vɑ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #10,942 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 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 savant, with forms such as "asvant", "saavnt", and "savannt". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "savon", "savent", "savons", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is savant, spelled S-A-V-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui sait beaucoup en matière d’érudition ou de science.
  2. 2
    Qualifie les ouvrages où il y a de la science, de l’érudition.
  3. 3
    Qui est bien informé de quelque affaire, qui est très habile en quelque chose.
  4. 4
    Qualifie certains animaux dressé à certains exercices.
  5. 5
    Qualifie ceux qui savent des choses qu’ils devraient ignorer.
  6. 6
    Qualifie les choses qui demandent de l’art, de l’habileté.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: asvant,saavnt,savannt,savantt,savatn,savnat,savvant,ssavant,svaant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

asvant2saavnt2savannt1savantt1savatn2savnat2savvant1ssavant1
Edit distance from "savant"

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 "savant"?
"savant" is spelled S-A-V-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is \sa.vɑ̃\.
What does "savant" mean?
As an adjective, "savant" means: Qui sait beaucoup en matière d’érudition ou de science.
What words are commonly confused with "savant"?
"savant" is commonly confused with "savon", "savent", "savons". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "savant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "savant" is \sa.vɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "savant" come from?
"savant" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “savant”

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

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