amok

\a.mɔk\

/\a.mɔk\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
4
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Folie meurtrière.

Corpus desk

Index FR-amok · amok · French

amok · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 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 amok
PropertyValue
Headwordamok
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\a.mɔk\
Letters4
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « amok » en français

amokreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

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

Rare enough to double-check

amok is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \a.mɔk\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

amok has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is amok, spelled A-M-O-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Folie meurtrière.
  2. 2
    Personne dans un état de folie meurtrière.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. …des Samoyèdes, des Nyams-Nyams, des Malgaches, des Fuégiens célèbrent les solennités les plus étranges, mangent leurs vieux pères, leurs enfants, tournent sur eux-mêmes au son du tam-tam jusqu’à l’évanouissement, se livrent à la frénésie de l’amok, brûlent leurs morts, les exposent sur les toits, les abandonnent au fil de l’eau sur une barque illuminée d…
  2. Si on fait remarquer à M. Mannoni que les Malgaches se sont pourtant révoltés à plusieurs reprises depuis l’occupation française et dernièrement encore, en 1947, M. Mannoni, fidèle à ses prémisses, vous expliquera qu’il s’agit là d’un comportement purement névrotique, d’une folie collective, d’un comportement d’amok ; que d’ailleurs, en la circonstance, i…

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 "amok"?
"amok" is spelled A-M-O-K. The IPA pronunciation is \a.mɔk\.
What does "amok" mean?
As a noun, "amok" means: Folie meurtrière.
How do you pronounce "amok"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "amok" is \a.mɔk\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "amok" come from?
"amok" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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