araignée
/a.ʁɛ.ɲe/
araignée is the French word for spider.
In playful or informal settings, you might hear people describe the animal as La bestiole à huit pattes, which means eight-legged creature.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun araignée is feminine, meaning you should use the indefinite article une (une araignée) rather than the masculine un.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /a.ʁɛ.ɲe/.
Did you know?
- In French cooking, if you encounter the term araignée, it may not be a creature at all, but rather a specific type of deep-fried batter-coated dish.
- The word araignée is derived from the Latin arānea, which itself comes from the Greek myth of Arachne, a weaver who challenged the goddess Athena and was turned into a spider.
- In French, a spider's web is called une toile d'araignée, but the word toile also refers to a canvas used by painters. This connects the intricate geometry of a web to the fabric of fine art.
Examples in context
- Les araignées ont huit pattes.Spiders have eight legs.
- Les enfants ont peur des araignées.Children are afraid of spiders.
- Il y a une petite araignée sur le mur.There is a little spider on the wall.
- J'ai peur de cette araignée noire.I am afraid of this black spider.
- L'araignée tisse sa toile dans le jardin.The spider is weaving its web in the garden.
Example conversation
Hugo and Manon are in the living room.
- HugoRegarde, une araignée est sur la table !Look, a spider is on the table!
- ManonOh non, enlève cette araignée vite, Hugo.Oh no, remove that spider quickly, Hugo.
- HugoNe t'inquiète pas, elle est minuscule.Don't worry, it is tiny.
- ManonMême si elle est petite, elle me fait peur.Even if it is small, it scares me.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry araignée, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries araignée, CC BY-SA 4.0.
