quenelle
/kəˈnɛl/
"quenelle" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“quenelle” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A light dumpling made of lightly spiced minced meat or fish bound with egg and poached.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | quenelle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /kəˈnɛl/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “quenelle” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
quenelle is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /kəˈnɛl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for quenelle, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French quenelle, from German Knödel. Doublet of knaidel. The correct English form is quenelle, spelled Q-U-E-N-E-L-L-E.
Definition
- 1A light dumpling made of lightly spiced minced meat or fish bound with egg and poached.
- 2An elliptical shape moulded by chefs from soft foods using two spoons.
- 3A gesture which is usually performed by pointing one arm diagonally downwards palm down, while touching the shoulder with the opposite hand, in a manner similar to an inverted Nazi salute.
Etymology
Borrowed from French quenelle, from German Knödel. Doublet of knaidel.
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
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Using “quenelle”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is Q-U-E-N-E-L-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /kəˈnɛl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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.