se tenir

\sə tə.niʁ\

/\sə tə.niʁ\/ verb

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

The verdict

“se tenir” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Rester dans un cadre normal. → voir n’avoir qu’à bien se tenir

Key facts for se tenir
PropertyValue
Headwordse tenir
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\sə tə.niʁ\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “se tenir” sits in French frequency

se tenir falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for se tenir is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \sə tə.niʁ\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for se tenir, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is se tenir, spelled S-E- -T-E-N-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Rester dans un cadre normal. → voir n’avoir qu’à bien se tenir
  2. 2
    Pour assurer son équilibre.
  3. 3
    Pour avoir un rôle social.
  4. 4
    Avoir un sens logique. → voir tout se tient et ça se tient
  5. 5
    Prendre une partie de son propre corps dans ses mains, physiquement ou mentalement. → voir se tenir les côtes de rire
  6. 6
    (Qqun se tient à (de) qqc). Dans la forme à quelquechose, le quelque chose est un support. Ne pas confondre avec les expressions du genre « se tenir à la fenêtre » qui est une expression passive. Cf forme intransitive infra.
  7. 7
    S’appuyer sur quelque chose. → voir se tenir aux branches et s’en tenir
  8. 8
    Se limiter à quelque chose en référence. → voir s’y tenir et s’en tenir
  9. 9
    Se retenir, s'empêcher.
  10. 10
    Rester dans telle position ou attitude. → voir se tenir à carreau, se tenir tranquille, se tenir à distance, se tenir bien et …
  11. 11
    Maintenir dans la durée.
  12. 12
    Se positionner dans l’espace.
  13. 13
    Se trouver.
  14. 14
    Avoir lieu.

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

How do you spell "se tenir"?
"se tenir" is spelled S-E- -T-E-N-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is \sə tə.niʁ\.
What does "se tenir" mean?
As a verb, "se tenir" means: Rester dans un cadre normal. → voir n’avoir qu’à bien se tenir
How do you pronounce "se tenir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "se tenir" is \sə tə.niʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "se tenir" come from?
"se tenir" 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 “se tenir”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-E- -T-E-N-I-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \sə tə.niʁ\ (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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list