signal de détresse
\si.ɲal də de.tʁɛʁ\
The verdict
“signal de détresse” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 18
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Moyen conventionnel permettant de signaler un danger ou d’indiquer que l’on a besoin d’aide.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | signal de détresse |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \si.ɲal də de.tʁɛʁ\ |
| Letters | 18 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “signal de détresse” sits in French frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The French entry for signal de détresse is 18 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \si.ɲal də de.tʁɛʁ\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No generated misspelling entries exist for signal de détresse in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is signal de détresse, spelled S-I-G-N-A-L- -D-E- -D-É-T-R-E-S-S-E.
Definition
- 1Moyen conventionnel permettant de signaler un danger ou d’indiquer que l’on a besoin d’aide.
- 2Synonyme de « feux de détresse »
This word in other languages
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
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Using “signal de détresse”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is S-I-G-N-A-L- -D-E- -D-É-T-R-E-S-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \si.ɲal də de.tʁɛʁ\ (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.