séquestre

\se.kɛstʁ\

/\se.kɛstʁ\/ noun

The verdict

“séquestre” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #32,615 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#32,615
frequency rank, French
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - État d’une chose litigieuse remise en main tierce par ordre de justice ou par convention des parties, jusqu’à ce qu’il soit réglé et jugé à qui elle appartiendra.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

séquestre vs semestre
67% similar

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

Key facts for séquestre
PropertyValue
Headwordséquestre
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\se.kɛstʁ\
Letters9
Frequency rank#32,615
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “séquestre” 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). séquestre 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 séquestre is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \se.kɛstʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #32,615 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for séquestre, with forms such as "sequestre", "sqéuestre", and "sséquestre". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "semestre", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is séquestre, spelled S-É-Q-U-E-S-T-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    État d’une chose litigieuse remise en main tierce par ordre de justice ou par convention des parties, jusqu’à ce qu’il soit réglé et jugé à qui elle appartiendra.
  2. 2
    Dépositaire, celui entre les mains de qui les choses sont mises en séquestre.
  3. 3
    La chose séquestrée.
  4. 4
    Main mise d’un État sur des territoires ou des biens appartenant à un autre État ou à ses ressortissants.
  5. 5
    État d’une personne que l’on prive illégalement et arbitrairement de sa liberté.
  6. 6
    Lieu où l’on enfermait un enfant (collégien, apprenti) par mesure de punition.
  7. 7
    Personne qui assure la garde d’une personne séquestrée.
  8. 8
    Celui chez qui on déposait l’argent destiné à acheter des juges, des électeurs.
  9. 9
    Portion nécrosée d’un tissu cellulaire, notamment fragment d’os, qui se trouve enclavé dans les tissus.
  10. 10
    Médicament utilisé pendant une opération et conservé pour analyse ultérieure.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: sequestre,sqéuestre,sséquestre,séqeustre,séqquestre,séquesrte,séquesstre,séquester,séquestrre,séquesttre,séquetsre,séqusetre,séuqestre,ésquestre

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sequestre1sqéuestre2sséquestre1séqeustre2séqquestre1séquesrte2séquesstre1séquester2
Edit distance from "séquestre"

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 "séquestre"?
"séquestre" is spelled S-É-Q-U-E-S-T-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \se.kɛstʁ\.
What does "séquestre" mean?
As a noun, "séquestre" means: État d’une chose litigieuse remise en main tierce par ordre de justice ou par convention des parties, jusqu’à ce qu’il soit réglé et jugé à qui elle appartiendra.
What words are commonly confused with "séquestre"?
"séquestre" is commonly confused with "semestre". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "séquestre"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "séquestre" is \se.kɛstʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "séquestre" come from?
"séquestre" 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.

Using “séquestre”

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

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