alcyon
\al.sjɔ̃\
The verdict
“alcyon” 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 May 6, 2026) - Oiseau de mer fabuleux, au chant plaintif (souvent identifié avec le martin-pêcheur, la mouette, le pétrel, le goéland ou le cygne), considéré par les Grecs et les poètes, comme un signe d’heureux ...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | alcyon |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \al.sjɔ̃\ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “alcyon” sits in French frequency
Rare enough to double-check
alcyon is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \al.sjɔ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for alcyon in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is alcyon, spelled A-L-C-Y-O-N.
Definition
- 1Oiseau de mer fabuleux, au chant plaintif (souvent identifié avec le martin-pêcheur, la mouette, le pétrel, le goéland ou le cygne), considéré par les Grecs et les poètes, comme un signe d’heureux présage, parce qu’il ne construisait son nid, selon la légende, que sur une mer calme.
- 2Martin-pêcheur.
- 3Hirondelle de mer, dite aussi salangane, martinet qui vit près des côtes maritimes, en Chine, en Polynésie, dont les nids, faits d’une matière gélatineuse, sont employés en Chine comme aliment.
- 4Sorte de polypier.
- 5Meuble représentant un cygne ou martin-pêcheur, les ailes éployées, couché sur son nid, lui-même posé sur une onde dans les armoiries. Il est parfois représenté sans bec.
Synonyms
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 “alcyon”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is A-L-C-Y-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \al.sjɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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.