vacant

\va.kɑ̃\

/\va.kɑ̃\/ adj

The verdict

“vacant” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #20,598 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#20,598
frequency rank, French
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui n’est pas occupé ou qui est à remplir, en parlant des maisons, lieux et places qui ne sont pas occupés.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

vacant vs vivant
67% similar
vacant vs venant
67% similar
vacant vs voyant
67% similar

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

Key facts for vacant
PropertyValue
Headwordvacant
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\va.kɑ̃\
Letters6
Frequency rank#20,598
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “vacant” 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). vacant 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 vacant is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \va.kɑ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #20,598 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for vacant, with forms such as "avcant", "vaacnt", and "vacannt". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "vivant", "venant", "voyant", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is vacant, spelled V-A-C-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui n’est pas occupé ou qui est à remplir, en parlant des maisons, lieux et places qui ne sont pas occupés.
  2. 2
    Emplois, places, ou dignités qui ne sont pas occupés.
  3. 3
    En termes de jurisprudence, succession que personne n’a réclamée lorsqu’elle a été ouverte, ou à laquelle on a renoncé.
  4. 4
    Curateur établi pour la régie et conservation des biens qui n’ont point de propriétaire certain.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: avcant,vaacnt,vacannt,vacantt,vacatn,vaccant,vacnat,vcaant,vvacant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

avcant2vaacnt2vacannt1vacantt1vacatn2vaccant1vacnat2vcaant2
Edit distance from "vacant"

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 "vacant"?
"vacant" is spelled V-A-C-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is \va.kɑ̃\.
What does "vacant" mean?
As an adjective, "vacant" means: Qui n’est pas occupé ou qui est à remplir, en parlant des maisons, lieux et places qui ne sont pas occupés.
What words are commonly confused with "vacant"?
"vacant" is commonly confused with "vivant", "venant", "voyant". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "vacant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vacant" is \va.kɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "vacant" come from?
"vacant" 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 “vacant”

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

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