canapé

/ˈkænəpeɪ/

//ˈkænəpeɪ// noun

"canape" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An hors d’oeuvre, a bite-sized open-faced sandwich made of thin bread or toast topped with savory garnish.

Corpus desk

Index EN-canape · canapé · English

canapé · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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 canapé
PropertyValue
Headwordcanapé
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkænəpeɪ/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “canapé” in English

canapéfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English 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

canapé is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkænəpeɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for canapé, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French canapé. Doublet of canopy and conopeum. The correct English form is canapé, spelled C-A-N-A-P-É.

Definition

  1. 1
    An hors d’oeuvre, a bite-sized open-faced sandwich made of thin bread or toast topped with savory garnish.
  2. 2
    A piece of furniture similar to a couch or settee, an elegant sofa.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Oliver was sitting on the edge of the canapé, swinging one leg over the other; and he stopped abruptly and stared, and then sank back, laughing softly to himself.

Etymology

Borrowed from French canapé. Doublet of canopy and conopeum.

This word in other languages

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 "canapé"?
"canapé" is spelled C-A-N-A-P-É. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkænəpeɪ/.
What does "canapé" mean?
As a noun, "canapé" means: An hors d’oeuvre, a bite-sized open-faced sandwich made of thin bread or toast topped with savory garnish.
How do you pronounce "canapé"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "canapé" is /ˈkænəpeɪ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "canapé"?
Borrowed from French canapé. Doublet of canopy and conopeum. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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