sens

\sɑ̃s\

/\sɑ̃s\/ noun

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

The verdict

“sens” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #260 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#260
frequency rank, French
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Signification, ce que quelque chose veut dire.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sens vs ss
50% similar
sens vs sn
50% similar
sens vs son
50% similar

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

Key facts for sens
PropertyValue
Headwordsens
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\sɑ̃s\
Letters4
Frequency rank#260
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sens” 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). sens 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 sens is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \sɑ̃s\. Corpus data places it at rank #260 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for sens, with forms such as "esns", "senns", and "senss". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ss", "sn", "son", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is sens, spelled S-E-N-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Signification, ce que quelque chose veut dire.
  2. 2
    Idée cohérente qu'on se fait de sa place dans l'univers et du déroulement de sa vie.
  3. 3
    Faculté de percevoir les impressions faites par les objets extérieurs.
  4. 4
    Manière de juger, de comprendre. Qui exprime le sentiment, l’opinion de quelqu’un concernant un sujet donné.
  5. 5
    Raison, intelligence.

This word in other languages

meaning(English)sentido(Español)Bedeutung(Deutsch)sentido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: esns,senns,senss,sesn,snes,ssens

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

esns2senns1senss1sesn2snes2ssens1
Edit distance from "sens"

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 "sens"?
"sens" is spelled S-E-N-S. The IPA pronunciation is \sɑ̃s\.
What does "sens" mean?
As a noun, "sens" means: Signification, ce que quelque chose veut dire.
What words are commonly confused with "sens"?
"sens" is commonly confused with "ss", "sn", "son". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sens"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sens" is \sɑ̃s\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sens" come from?
"sens" 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 “sens”

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

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