silène

\si.lɛn\

/\si.lɛn\/ noun

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

The verdict

“silène” is uncommon French (frequency #84,315 among 394,209 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,315
frequency rank, French
394,209
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Satyre âgé, fils ou petit-fils de Silène.

Key facts for silène
PropertyValue
Headwordsilène
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\si.lɛn\
Letters6
Frequency rank#84,315
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “silène” 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). silène 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

silène is uncommon French at frequency #84,315 among 394,209 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \si.lɛn\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for silène, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is silène, spelled S-I-L-È-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Satyre âgé, fils ou petit-fils de Silène.
  2. 2
    Plante herbacée, annuelle ou vivace, du genre Silene, appartenant à la famille des Caryophyllacées.
  3. 3
    Nom vulgaire du Satyrus circe, papillon de la famille des Satyridés.
  4. 4
    Insecte lépidoptère (papillon) de la famille des nymphalidés, dont les ailes sont de couleur brun foncé et rayées d’une bande blanc crème.
  5. 5
    Ouanderou, singe de nom scientifique Macacus silenus.

Synonyms

satyre

This word in other languages

campion(English)

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 "silène"?
"silène" is spelled S-I-L-È-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is \si.lɛn\.
What does "silène" mean?
As a noun, "silène" means: Satyre âgé, fils ou petit-fils de Silène.
How do you pronounce "silène"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "silène" is \si.lɛn\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "silène" come from?
"silène" 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 “silène”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-I-L-È-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \si.lɛn\ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list