soft

\sɔft\

/\sɔft\/ adj

The verdict

“soft” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #12,057 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#12,057
frequency rank, French
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Peu violent, doux.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

soft vs st
50% similar
soft vs son
50% similar
soft vs sol
50% similar

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

Key facts for soft
PropertyValue
Headwordsoft
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\sɔft\
Letters4
Frequency rank#12,057
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “soft” 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). soft 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 soft is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \sɔft\. Corpus data places it at rank #12,057 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 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 soft, with forms such as "osft", "sfot", and "sofft". 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, "st", "son", "sol", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is soft, spelled S-O-F-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Peu violent, doux.
  2. 2
    Dans le domaine de la sexualité, désigne des relations sexuelles peu poussées.
  3. 3
    Dans le domaine de la pornographie, qualifie une représentation érotique, plus suggérée qu’exhibée.

Antonyms

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: osft,sfot,sofft,softt,sotf,ssoft

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

osft2sfot2sofft1softt1sotf2ssoft1
Edit distance from "soft"

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 "soft"?
"soft" is spelled S-O-F-T. The IPA pronunciation is \sɔft\.
What does "soft" mean?
As an adjective, "soft" means: Peu violent, doux.
What words are commonly confused with "soft"?
"soft" is commonly confused with "st", "son", "sol". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "soft"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "soft" is \sɔft\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "soft" come from?
"soft" 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 “soft”

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

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