verboten

\vɛʁ.bɔ.tɛn\

/\vɛʁ.bɔ.tɛn\/ adj

The verdict

“verboten” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Interdit, défendu (sous-entendu de manière péremptoire ou autoritaire).

Corpus desk

Index FR-verboten · verboten · French

verboten · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "V" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for verboten
PropertyValue
Headwordverboten
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\vɛʁ.bɔ.tɛn\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « verboten » en français

verbotenreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

verboten is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \vɛʁ.bɔ.tɛn\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Interdit, défendu (sous-entendu de manière péremptoire ou autoritaire).".

No misspelling variants are generated for verboten in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is verboten, spelled V-E-R-B-O-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Interdit, défendu (sous-entendu de manière péremptoire ou autoritaire).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how verboten appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. C’était vraiment émouvant mais le Fritz avait une façon de comprendre les consignes absolument inconnue dans l’armée française. Il se bornait à répondre : verboten, verboten, raouss, loss, etc.
  2. Finalement, le livre de Catherine Nay, bien que non suspect de malveillance, ne relève-t-il pas une certaine folie et des pulsions autocratiques chez cet homme qu’elle qualifie elle-même de « bonapartiste » ? L’hypothèse formulée suscite, aussitôt, une levée de boucliers indignée sur le plateau de l’émission. On n’a pas le droit de dire ça ! Verboten ! Le…

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "verboten"?
"verboten" is spelled V-E-R-B-O-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \vɛʁ.bɔ.tɛn\.
What does "verboten" mean?
As an adjective, "verboten" means: Interdit, défendu (sous-entendu de manière péremptoire ou autoritaire).
How do you pronounce "verboten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "verboten" is \vɛʁ.bɔ.tɛn\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "verboten" come from?
"verboten" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list