sec

\sɛk\

/\sɛk\/ adj

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

The verdict

“sec” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #2,897) as an adjective. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#2,897
frequency rank, French
6,032
“S” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Qui a peu ou pas d’humidité.

Corpus desk

Index FR-sec · sec · French

sec · rank #2,897 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,897
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,032
  • PHOTO-FINISH royale

Nearest frequency peer: royale (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “sec”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “sec” sits against the nearest ranked French headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sec vs si
33% similar
sec vs st
33% similar
sec vs su
33% similar

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

Key facts for sec
PropertyValue
Headwordsec
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\sɛk\
Letters3
Frequency rank#2,897
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sec” 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). sec lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for sec is neighbouring look-alikes ("si", "st", …), not just typos; it is anadjective pronounced \sɛk\. Frequency #2,897 among 6,032 “S” headwords. 10 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for sec, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "si", "st", "su", and more, 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 its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is sec, spelled S-E-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui a peu ou pas d’humidité.
  2. 2
    Il est opposé à vert et frais, lorsqu’on parle des herbes, des plantes.
  3. 3
    Dont on a évaporé les éléments humides, séché ou asséché.
  4. 4
    Décharné ; nerveux ; osseux.
  5. 5
    Rude ; abrupt ; sans moelleux ; sans douceur ; nerveux ; concis.
  6. 6
    Qualifie un vin qui n’est pas liquoreux, qui n’est pas moelleux.
  7. 7
    Seul, sans accompagnement, nu.
  8. 8
    Sans compensation, sans contrepartie.
  9. 9
    Seul.
  10. 10
    Qualifie un lieu où la vente ou la présence d’alcool est interdite.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how sec appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Ainsi que cela se produisait chaque fois qu’il avait trop pompé le jour d’avant, il se sentait la tête un peu fiévreuse, le front chaud, les nerfs excités et la gorge sèche.
  2. Chaque période interglaciaire amène un adoucissement du climat, qui prend le type froid et sec ou bien doux et humide.

Synonyms

aride

Antonyms

moitemouilléonctueuxgras

This word in other languages

dry(English)seco(Español)trocken(Deutsch)seco(Português)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sec"?
"sec" is spelled S-E-C. The IPA pronunciation is \sɛk\.
What does "sec" mean?
As an adjective, "sec" means: Qui a peu ou pas d’humidité.
What words are commonly confused with "sec"?
"sec" is commonly confused with "si", "st", "su". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sec"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sec" is \sɛk\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sec" come from?
"sec" 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.

Similar French words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "sec", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked French headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bat#2,865ira#2,932pré#2,849man#2,835

What to do next

You've looked up "sec". Here's where to go from here.

  • "sec" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "si". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #2,897 among French headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more French words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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