separate

\zepaˈʁaːtə\

/\zepaˈʁaːtə\/ adj

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

The verdict

“separate” is uncommon French (frequency #97,423 among 394,209 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,423
frequency rank, French
394,209
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Nominatif féminin singulier de la déclinaison forte de separat.

Key facts for separate
PropertyValue
Headwordseparate
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\zepaˈʁaːtə\
Letters8
Frequency rank#97,423
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “separate” 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). separate lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

separate is uncommon French at frequency #97,423 among 394,209 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed \zepaˈʁaːtə\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.

separate has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is separate, spelled S-E-P-A-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nominatif féminin singulier de la déclinaison forte de separat.
  2. 2
    Accusatif féminin singulier de la déclinaison forte de separat.
  3. 3
    Nominatif pluriel (à tous les genres) de la déclinaison forte de separat.
  4. 4
    Accusatif pluriel (à tous les genres) de la déclinaison forte de separat.
  5. 5
    Nominatif singulier (à tous les genres) de la déclinaison faible de separat.
  6. 6
    Accusatif féminin singulier de la déclinaison faible de separat.
  7. 7
    Accusatif neutre singulier de la déclinaison faible de separat.
  8. 8
    Nominatif féminin singulier de la déclinaison mixte de separat.
  9. 9
    Accusatif féminin singulier de la déclinaison mixte de separat.

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 "separate"?
"separate" is spelled S-E-P-A-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \zepaˈʁaːtə\.
What does "separate" mean?
As an adjective, "separate" means: Nominatif féminin singulier de la déclinaison forte de separat.
How do you pronounce "separate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "separate" is \zepaˈʁaːtə\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "separate" come from?
"separate" 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 “separate”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-E-P-A-R-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \zepaˈʁaːtə\ (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

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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