weakness

\ˈwiːk.nəs\

/\ˈwiːk.nəs\/ noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Faiblesse.

Key facts for weakness
PropertyValue
Headwordweakness
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ˈwiːk.nəs\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “weakness” sits in French frequency

weakness falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

weakness is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \ˈwiːk.nəs\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Faiblesse.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for weakness, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is weakness, spelled W-E-A-K-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Faiblesse.

Synonyms

foiblefrailty

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 "weakness"?
"weakness" is spelled W-E-A-K-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈwiːk.nəs\.
What does "weakness" mean?
As a noun, "weakness" means: Faiblesse.
How do you pronounce "weakness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "weakness" is \ˈwiːk.nəs\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "weakness" come from?
"weakness" 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 “weakness”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is W-E-A-K-N-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈwiːk.nəs\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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