Français homophones

kel/quel/quelle/quelles/quels

"kel" is a verb; "quel" is an adjective - grammar picks the spelling, not sound. Size rank #101 of 9,139 French groups.

Data vintage 2026-05-06

Grammar picks the spelling

Same sound, different grammar: "kel" arrives as a verb, while "quel" is an adjective. Once the sentence role is fixed, only one spelling fits.

Spelling pairs in this cluster

No shared spelling stem: "kel" is 3 letters, "quel" is 4; only the sound ties them.
No shared spelling stem: "kel" is 3 letters, "quelle" is 6; only the sound ties them.
No shared spelling stem: "kel" is 3 letters, "quelles" is 7; only the sound ties them.
No shared spelling stem: "kel" is 3 letters, "quels" is 5; only the sound ties them.
Shared stem "quel" then splits - "quel" (4 letters) vs "quelle" (6).
Shared stem "quel" then splits - "quel" (4 letters) vs "quelles" (7).
Shared stem "quel" then splits - "quel" (4 letters) vs "quels" (5).
Shared stem "quelle" then splits - "quelle" (6 letters) vs "quelles" (7).
Shared stem "quel" then splits - "quelle" (6 letters) vs "quels" (5).
Shared stem "quel" then splits - "quelles" (7 letters) vs "quels" (5).

Orthographic DNA of this cluster

Shared letters across kel, quel, quelle, quelles, quels: el. Private letters are the ones only one spelling owns: the eye's fastest tell once sound is out of the picture.

kel
3 letters · 1 vowels · shape CVC
Inventory ekl · private k
quel
4 letters · 2 vowels · shape CVVC
Inventory elqu · private qu
quelle
6 letters · 3 vowels · shape CVVCCV
Inventory elqu · private qu
quelles
7 letters · 3 vowels · shape CVVCCVC
Inventory elqsu · private qsu
quels
5 letters · 2 vowels · shape CVVCC
Inventory elqsu · private qsu

Pick the spelling from the meaning

Write "kel" when you mean: Deuxième personne du singulier du présent du verbe ké (« attendre »).
Write "quel" when you mean: Interroge sur l’identité du nom suivant.
Write "quelle" when you mean: Féminin singulier de quel.
Write "quelles" when you mean: Féminin pluriel de quel.
Write "quels" when you mean: Masculin pluriel de quel.

Known mistypes of these spellings

Edit-distance variants recorded against this cluster: useful when a search or OCR feed lands on the wrong form.

quel ← qeul · qquel · quell · qule · uqel
quelle ← qeulle · qquelle · quele · quelel · qulele · uqelle
quelles ← qeulles · qquelles · quelels · queles · quelless · quellse
quels ← qeuls · qquels · quells · quelss · quesl · qules

Each spelling

kel

verb · /\kɛl\/ · #41,370 frequency

Deuxième personne du singulier du présent du verbe ké (« attendre »).

quel

adjective · /\kɛl\/ · #295 frequency

Interroge sur l’identité du nom suivant.

quelle

adjective · /\kɛl\/ · #437 frequency

Féminin singulier de quel.

quelles

adjective · /\kɛl\/ · #1,932 frequency

Féminin pluriel de quel.

quels

adjective · /\kɛl\/ · #1,933 frequency

Masculin pluriel de quel.