usage

\y.zaʒ\

/\y.zaʒ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“usage” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #1,243 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,243
frequency rank, French
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Coutume ; pratique reçue.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

usage vs usé
40% similar
usage vs usée
60% similar
usage vs usine
60% similar

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

Key facts for usage
PropertyValue
Headwordusage
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\y.zaʒ\
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,243
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “usage” 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). usage 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 usage is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \y.zaʒ\. Corpus data places it at rank #1,243 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 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 usage, with forms such as "suage", "uasge", and "usaeg". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "usé", "usée", "usine", 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 usage, spelled U-S-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Coutume ; pratique reçue.
  2. 2
    Habitude, pratique particulière.
  3. 3
    Connaissance pratique acquise par l’expérience.
  4. 4
    Expérience de la société, habitude d’en pratiquer les devoirs, d’en observer les règles.
  5. 5
    Emploi d’une chose.
  6. 6
    Utilité, possibilité d’emploi d’une chose.
  7. 7
    Emploi qu’on fait des mots de la langue, tel que la coutume l’a réglé.
  8. 8
    Emploi personnel qu’on fait des mots.
  9. 9
    Usufruit, droit de se servir personnellement d’une chose dont la propriété est à un autre.
  10. 10
    Usufruit, droit de se servir personnellement d’une chose dont la propriété est à un autre.

Synonyms

ususancehabitudeexpérienceutilisationemploiutilité

This word in other languages

usage(English)costumbre(Español)Brauch(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: suage,uasge,usaeg,usagge,usgae,ussage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

suage2uasge2usaeg2usagge1usgae2ussage1
Edit distance from "usage"

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 "usage"?
"usage" is spelled U-S-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is \y.zaʒ\.
What does "usage" mean?
As a noun, "usage" means: Coutume ; pratique reçue.
What words are commonly confused with "usage"?
"usage" is commonly confused with "usé", "usée", "usine". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "usage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "usage" is \y.zaʒ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "usage" come from?
"usage" 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 “usage”

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

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