trace

\tʁas\

/\tʁas\/ noun

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

The verdict

“trace” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #3,369 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,369
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Marque ou empreinte laissée sur le sol par le passage d’une personne, d’un animal ou d’un objet.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

trace vs tre
60% similar
trace vs truc
60% similar
trace vs tram
60% similar

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

Key facts for trace
PropertyValue
Headwordtrace
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\tʁas\
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,369
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “trace” 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). trace 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 trace is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \tʁas\. Corpus data places it at rank #3,369 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for trace, with forms such as "rtace", "tarce", and "tracce". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tre", "truc", "tram", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is trace, spelled T-R-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Marque ou empreinte laissée sur le sol par le passage d’une personne, d’un animal ou d’un objet.
  2. 2
    Marque qui résulte d’une action.
  3. 3
    Impression laissée par un événement.
  4. 4
    Ce qui subsiste en faible quantité ou en moindre proportion.
  5. 5
    Preuve matérielle.
  6. 6
    Somme des éléments diagonaux d’une matrice carrée.
  7. 7
    Dessin de fils servant d’armature générale dans la dentelle à l’aiguille.
  8. 8
    Position vide d’où un syntagme a été déplacé.
  9. 9
    Représentation de l’exécution d’un programme.
  10. 10
    Gros papier gris autrefois utilisé pour la fabrication des cartes à jouer.
  11. 11
    Dose de drogue prête à être insufflée à des fins récréatives.

This word in other languages

trace(English)traza(Español)Spur(Deutsch)vestígio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: rtace,tarce,tracce,traec,trcae,trrace,ttrace

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of trace - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

rtace2tarce2tracce1traec2trcae2trrace1ttrace1
Edit distance from "trace"

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 "trace"?
"trace" is spelled T-R-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is \tʁas\.
What does "trace" mean?
As a noun, "trace" means: Marque ou empreinte laissée sur le sol par le passage d’une personne, d’un animal ou d’un objet.
What words are commonly confused with "trace"?
"trace" is commonly confused with "tre", "truc", "tram". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "trace"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "trace" is \tʁas\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "trace" come from?
"trace" 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 “trace”

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

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