traverser

\tʁa.vɛʁ.se\

/\tʁa.vɛʁ.se\/ verb

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

The verdict

“traverser” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,294 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#4,294
frequency rank, French
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Passer à travers, d’un côté à l’autre.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

traverser vs traversés
78% similar
traverser vs traversez
89% similar
traverser vs traversera
90% similar

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

Key facts for traverser
PropertyValue
Headwordtraverser
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\tʁa.vɛʁ.se\
Letters9
Frequency rank#4,294
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “traverser” 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). traverser 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 traverser is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \tʁa.vɛʁ.se\. Corpus data places it at rank #4,294 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 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for traverser, with forms such as "rtaverser", "tarverser", and "traevrser". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "traversés", "traversez", "traversera", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is traverser, spelled T-R-A-V-E-R-S-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Passer à travers, d’un côté à l’autre.
  2. 2
    Changer de côté dans une rue, sur une route.
  3. 3
    Percer de part en part.
  4. 4
    Être au travers de quelque chose.
  5. 5
    Passer à travers, passer par.
  6. 6
    Susciter des obstacles pour empêcher le succès de quelque entreprise.
  7. 7
    Présenter le travers.
  8. 8
    Se mettre de travers.

This word in other languages

cross(English)atravesar(Español)durchqueren(Deutsch)atravessar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: rtaverser,tarverser,traevrser,traveresr,traverrser,traverserr,traversre,traversser,travesrer,travreser,travverser,trraverser,trvaerser,ttraverser

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

rtaverser2tarverser2traevrser2traveresr2traverrser1traverserr1traversre2traversser1
Edit distance from "traverser"

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 "traverser"?
"traverser" is spelled T-R-A-V-E-R-S-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \tʁa.vɛʁ.se\.
What does "traverser" mean?
As a verb, "traverser" means: Passer à travers, d’un côté à l’autre.
What words are commonly confused with "traverser"?
"traverser" is commonly confused with "traversés", "traversez", "traversera". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "traverser"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "traverser" is \tʁa.vɛʁ.se\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "traverser" come from?
"traverser" 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 “traverser”

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

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