alcane

\al.kan\

/\al.kan\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Nom générique des hydrocarbures saturés, de formule générale CₙH₂ₙ₊₂ lorsqu’ils sont linéaires (également appelés paraffines).

Corpus desk

Index FR-alcane · alcane · French

alcane · 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 "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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 alcane
PropertyValue
Headwordalcane
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\al.kan\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « alcane » en français

alcanesiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

alcane is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \al.kan\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Nom générique des hydrocarbures saturés, de formule générale CₙH₂ₙ₊₂ lorsqu’ils sont linéaires (également appelés paraffines).".

No generated misspelling entries exist for alcane in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is alcane, spelled A-L-C-A-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nom générique des hydrocarbures saturés, de formule générale CₙH₂ₙ₊₂ lorsqu’ils sont linéaires (également appelés paraffines).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. L’oxydation électrochimique observée correspond à celle de l’alcane ainsi formé.
  2. Lorsque le substrat est une solution aqueuse et le liquide mouillant un alcane, on peut s'affranchir de ce problème en utilisant les propriétés de surface d'un polymère fluoré industriel : le téflon, ou polytétrafluoroéthylène.

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 "alcane"?
"alcane" is spelled A-L-C-A-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is \al.kan\.
What does "alcane" mean?
As a noun, "alcane" means: Nom générique des hydrocarbures saturés, de formule générale CₙH₂ₙ₊₂ lorsqu’ils sont linéaires (également appelés paraffines).
How do you pronounce "alcane"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "alcane" is \al.kan\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "alcane" come from?
"alcane" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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