sphère

\sfɛʁ\

/\sfɛʁ\/ noun

The verdict

“sphère” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #6,894 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,894
frequency rank, French
6
letters
10
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Surface dans l’espace à trois dimensions dont tous les points sont situés à une même distance d’un point appelé centre.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sphère vs spire
67% similar
sphère vs sphères
86% similar
sphère vs shore
67% similar

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

Key facts for sphère
PropertyValue
Headwordsphère
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\sfɛʁ\
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,894
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sphère” 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). sphère 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 sphère is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \sfɛʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #6,894 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for sphère, with forms such as "pshère", "shpère", and "sphere". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "spire", "sphères", "shore", 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 any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is sphère, spelled S-P-H-È-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Surface dans l’espace à trois dimensions dont tous les points sont situés à une même distance d’un point appelé centre.
  2. 2
    La sphère de dimension n, notée Sⁿ désigne l’ensemble des points de l’espace euclidien Rⁿ à une distance 1 de l’origine 0.
  3. 3
    Voûte du ciel, conçue comme un globe dont la terre serait le centre.
  4. 4
    Boule mobile autour de son axe et légèrement inclinée qui représente la voûte céleste ou le globe terrestre.
  5. 5
    Espace dans lequel la vertu, l’influence d’un agent naturel peut s’étendre et hors duquel elle n’a pas d’action appréciable.
  6. 6
    Domaine où s’exerce l’activité de quelqu’un.
  7. 7
    Étendue de pouvoir, d’influence, de connaissances, de talent.
  8. 8
    Meuble représentant l’objet géométrique du même nom dans les armoiries. L’utilisation d’un objet tridimensionnel est rare en héraldique qui préfère les éléments à 2 dimensions. En effet, la confusion entre une sphère et un tourteau ou besant vu de loin est aisée. À rapprocher de globe, monde et sphère armillaire.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: pshère,shpère,sphere,sphhère,sphrèe,sphèer,sphèrre,spphère,spèhre,ssphère

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

pshère2shpère2sphere1sphhère1sphrèe2sphèer2sphèrre1spphère1
Edit distance from "sphère"

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 "sphère"?
"sphère" is spelled S-P-H-È-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \sfɛʁ\.
What does "sphère" mean?
As a noun, "sphère" means: Surface dans l’espace à trois dimensions dont tous les points sont situés à une même distance d’un point appelé centre.
What words are commonly confused with "sphère"?
"sphère" is commonly confused with "spire", "sphères", "shore". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sphère"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sphère" is \sfɛʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sphère" come from?
"sphère" 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 “sphère”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-P-H-È-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \sfɛʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “spire” - see the side-by-side comparison. sphère vs spire
  • 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