vif

[vif]

/[vif]/ adj

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

The verdict

“vif” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #5,089 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#5,089
frequency rank, French
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui est en vie.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

vif vs vu
33% similar
vif vs vs
33% similar
vif vs vo
33% similar

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

Key facts for vif
PropertyValue
Headwordvif
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[vif]
Letters3
Frequency rank#5,089
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “vif” 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). vif 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 vif is 3 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [vif]. Corpus data places it at rank #5,089 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Zero misspellings are on record for vif in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "vu", "vs", "vo", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is vif, spelled V-I-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui est en vie.
  2. 2
    Qualifie le tissu organique qui a gardé les propriétés vitales.
  3. 3
    Qui a beaucoup de vigueur et d’activité, rapide.
  4. 4
    Se dit d’une personne qui s’impatiente, qui s’emporte facilement.
  5. 5
    Qui conçoit, qui produit promptement et facilement.
  6. 6
    Qualifie certaines choses, soit physiques, soit morales, pour marquer la force, la violence de l’impression qu’elles font sur nous.
  7. 7
    Qualifie un regard brillant et plein de feu.
  8. 8
    Se dit d’une couleur éclatante, brillante, pure, sans autre nuance.
  9. 9
    Qualifie un tir rapide, nourri et continu.
  10. 10
    Qualifie ce qui est exprimé avec force, avec chaleur, de ce qui est énergique, animé.
  11. 11
    Qualifie les expressions où se fait sentir le feu de l’imagination, les traits piquants.
  12. 12
    Qualifie des propos qui approchent de l’insulte.

Synonyms

sémillantspitantpétulant

This word in other languages

alive(English)vivo(Español)lebendig(Deutsch)vivo(Português)

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 "vif"?
"vif" is spelled V-I-F. The IPA pronunciation is [vif].
What does "vif" mean?
As an adjective, "vif" means: Qui est en vie.
What words are commonly confused with "vif"?
"vif" is commonly confused with "vu", "vs", "vo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "vif"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vif" is [vif]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "vif" come from?
"vif" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “vif”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is V-I-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [vif] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “vu” - see the side-by-side comparison. vif vs vu
  • 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