stagnant

\staɡ.nɑ̃\

/\staɡ.nɑ̃\/ adj

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

The verdict

“stagnant” is uncommon French (frequency #86,202 among 394,209 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#86,202
frequency rank, French
394,209
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qualifie des eaux qui ne coulent pas.

Key facts for stagnant
PropertyValue
Headwordstagnant
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\staɡ.nɑ̃\
Letters8
Frequency rank#86,202
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stagnant” 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). stagnant 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

stagnant is uncommon French at frequency #86,202 among 394,209 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed \staɡ.nɑ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for stagnant, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is stagnant, spelled S-T-A-G-N-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qualifie des eaux qui ne coulent pas.
  2. 2
    Se dit du sang et des humeurs lorsqu’ils cessent de circuler et s’accumulent dans quelque partie du corps.
  3. 3
    Qui reste immobile et ne se renouvelle pas.

This word in other languages

stagnant(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 "stagnant"?
"stagnant" is spelled S-T-A-G-N-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is \staɡ.nɑ̃\.
What does "stagnant" mean?
As an adjective, "stagnant" means: Qualifie des eaux qui ne coulent pas.
How do you pronounce "stagnant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stagnant" is \staɡ.nɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "stagnant" come from?
"stagnant" 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 “stagnant”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-T-A-G-N-A-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \staɡ.nɑ̃\ (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